FROM   THE   LIBRARY  OF 
REV.   LOUIS    FITZGERALD    BENSON.   D.  D. 

BEQUEATHED    BY   HIM   TO 

THE   LIBRARY  OF 

PRINCETON  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY 


i| 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2012  with  funding  from 

Princeton  Theological  Seminary  Library 


http://archive.org/details/shakersOOevan 


\^ 


^^^OFPRi^ 


.  OCT  23  1937   ^ 


SHAKERS. 


COMPENDIUM 


OEIGIX,   niSTOKY,   PEINCIPLE3,   EXILES  AND  EEGULATIONS, 
GOYEENAIENT,    A^'D   DOCTEIXES 

OF  THE 

UMTED  SOCIETY  OF  BELIEVEES  IN  CHRIST'S 
SECOND  APPEAKING. 


WITH   BIOGR.^rHIES  OF 

ANX    LEE, 

WILLIAM    LEE,    JAS.   AVIIITTAKEE,    J.    HOCKXELL,    J.    MEACHAM, 
AXD    LUCY    AVEIGHT. 


BY  F.  W.  E^'AXS. 


O  my  soul,  swallow  down  understanding,  and  devour  wisdom; 
for  thou  hast  only  time  to  live."— Esdras. 


NEW     YORK : 

D.    APPLETON    AXD    COMPAIs^Y, 

846    &   348    BEOADTYAY. 
1859. 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1S53,  by 

FEEDEEICK     AT.    EVANS, 

In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States  for  the 
Soathern  District  of  New  Tork. 


TO  THE  READER, 


Iisr  respectful  resjoonse  to  the  often-ex- 
pressed desire  of  tlie  public,  to  have  the 
information  respecting  Shakers  and  Shah- 
erisDi^  that  is  now  spread  through  some 
five  or  six  volumes,  concentrated  in  a  Com- 
pendium, this  work  has  been  prepared  by 
the  author  and  compiler,  in  union  with, 
and  aided  by,  his  Gospel  friends. 

It  being,  as  stated  in  all  previous  pub- 
lications by  the  Society,  the  settled  faith 
of  the  Church,  from  the  beginning,  that 
its  foundation  was  Divine  Revelation  ; 
and  that  the  records  of  past  Dis2:)ensations, 
and  their  revelations,  can  be  understood 
and  interpreted  aright  only  by  means  of  a 


IV  TO   THE   HEADER. 

Present  living  revelation  ;  we  therefore  feel 
ourselves  untramiQeled  by  tlie  letter  of 
yesterday^  and  write  and  exj)ress  our  views 
in  accordance  with  the  increasing  liglit  of 
to-day^  as  we  hope  and  trust,  subject  to  the 
dictates  of  "  the  Comforter,"  or  "  Sj)irit 
of  Truth,"  dwelling  and  abiding  in  the 
Churchy  which  is  gradually,  but  surely  and 
safely,  leading  it  into  the  knowledge  of 
"  all  trutliP  For  ''  in  Christ  are  hid,"  as 
we  fully  believe,  "  all  the  treasures  of  wis- 
dom and  knowledge." 

F.  W.  EVANS,       \ 

CALVIN  GREEN,  >    Committee  of  Eevision. 
GILES  AVERY.      ) 
Augusty  1858. 


INTKODUCTION. 


The  United  Society  of  Believers  in  Christ's 
Second  Appearing,  at  this  day,  stand  before  the 
public  in  a  very  different  attitude  from  Avhat  they 
have  ever  done  at  the  time  of  issuing  any  of  their 
previous  publications. 

Many  of  the  most  obnoxious  features  of  the  So- 
ciety— such  as  drew  down  upon  it  the  opposition 
and  secret  or  open  persecution,  particularly  of  re- 
ligious professors — are  now  becoming  the  popular 
views  of  the  times,  at  least  of  all  the  progressive 
minds  of  the  age. 

Again.  The  ignorant  or  willful  laisconceptions 
of  what  were  the  actual  doctrines,  principles,  and 
faith  of  the  Society,  are  bdng  corrected ;  and  the 
false  judgings  of  certain  discrepancies  existing  be- 
tween the  profession  and  practice  of  the  people, 
are  almost  entirely  removed  from  the  public  mind. 


VI  INTEODUCTIOIT. 

It  IS  no  longer  believed  that  Ann  Lee  Avas  a 
"  witcJi^'^^  because  she  was  known  to  possess  super- 
natural powers ;  or  that  the  Shakers  think  her  to 
be  something  more  than  human — equal  to  Christ ; 
or  that  they  worship  her,  etc.,  etc. 

It  is  now  generally  known,  that  we  do  not  con- 
demn the  Marriage  institution,  in  its  ov)n  order ^ 
and  when  governed  by  its  true  laws  /  but  simply 
hold  that  it  is  Qiot  a  Christian  institution. 

The  wonderful  and  almost  incredible  openings 
of  light  and  truth  pertaining  to  this  and  the  exter- 
nal spiritual  world,  and  which  address  themselves 
almost  exclusively  to  the  external  man,  by  sensuous 
facts  and  physical  demonstrations,  and  which,  in 
former  times  and  other  ages,  were  suppressed  and 
condemned,  as  the  effect  of  unlawful  communings 
with  the  powers  of  darkness,  are  now  being  re- 
ceived with  joy  and  gladness  by  thousands  of  per- 
sons, as  proof  of  a  telegrajrfliiG  communication 
established  between  the  two  v%'orlds ;  and  no  more 
to  be  disputed  or  doubted  than  is  the  existence 
of  that  marvelous  submarine  telegrccphiG  coMe  that 
connects  the  Eastern  and  Western  continents. 

In  all  these  advances  of  the  human  mind  in 
knowledge  relating  to  the  mundane  and  supermun- 
dane planes,  we  find  cause  for  hope  and  encourage- 
ment  that   the   time   is   drawing   nigh  when   the 


INTEODrCTIOX.  VU 

interior  and  truly  sprntual  powers  of  the  souls  of 
our  fellow-creatures  will  be  awakened  as  from  a 
long  night  of  slumber,  and  when  human  hearts 
will  be  touched  with  the  fire  of  conviction  for  sin, 
from  the  altar  of  religious  truth,  quickening  them 
into  that  aiSection  for  each  other  that  shall  burn  up 
selfishness,  and  draw  them,  as  with  strong  cords  of 
love,  into  communities  of  brotherhood  and  sister- 
hood, not  only  under  a  Christian  profession,  but 
also  into  a  Christian  practice  —  a  Christian 
Church. 

All  truth,  being  primarily  of  Divine  origin,  is 
fit  food  for  human  souls  when  "  rightly  divided" 
and  properly  used.  The  observation  of  natural 
facts  and  phenomena  on  the  earth  plane,  and  the 
orderly  arrangement  of  such  facts,  together  with 
the  scientific  deduction  of  general  principles  there- 
from, which  can  be  applied  to  the  use  and  benefit 
of  mankind,  are,  in  their  place  and  order,  right 
and  good. 

With  such  knowledge  we  have  no  war ;  for  "  we 
can  do  nothing  against  the  truth,  but  for  the 
truth."  All  truth,  when  i/?iadulterated  with  hu- 
man pride  and  self,  is  a  unit.  And  true  earthly 
knowledge,  talents,  and  capacities  bear  the  same 
relation  to  the  Divine  revelation  of  spiritual  good 
and  truth  that  the  vessels  which  the  widow  bor- 


Vlll  IXTRODUCTIOX. 

rowed  bore  to  her  cruse  of  oil.  There  was  no 
limit  to  the  flow  of  the  precious  oil,  except  the 
number  and  size  of  the  vessels  that  contained  it. 

It  is  man's  duty  in  this  world  to  cultivate  his 
natural  powers  and  capacities,  solely  "with  reference 
to  the  rendering  himself  the  better  recipient  of  the 
truths  of  the  higher  spheres,  and  of  the  elements 
of  eternal  existence.  The  Divine  revelations  of 
former  Dispensations  were  limited  and  molded  by 
the  knowledge  of  this  natural  world  of  the  me- 
diums and  people  of  those  times. 

"  JNIoses  was  learned  in  all  the  wisdom  of  the 
Egyptians;"  and  their  ideas  of  geology  and  astron- 
omy governed,  in  a  measure,  his  account  of  the 
creation,  though  written  by  inspiration;  as  was 
also  that  of  the  lengthening  of  the  day  when  the 
"  sun  stood  still  upon  the  mount  Gibeon,  and  the 
moon  in  the  valley  of  Ajalon." 

Let  us  all,  then,  be  diligent  to  add  '•  to  our  faith 
virtue ;  and  to  virtue  knowledge ;  and  to  knowl- 
edge temperance ;  and  to  temperance  patience  ; 
and  to  patience  godliness^  which  is  profitable  unto 
all  things,  of  the  life  that  now  is,  and  of  that 
which  is  to  come;"  and  thus  we  shall  abound  in 
that  true  love  to  God  which  results  in  loving  our 
neighbor  as  we  love  ourselves. 


CONTENTS. 


Paob 

Intkoduction 5 

Chapter  I. — Origin  of  the  Society 11 

"       II. — Eise,   Progress,   and    Present    State  of  the 

Society 25 

'*     ni. — Qualifications  for  Membership,  and  Eules  and 

Kegulations 42 

"      IV. — Characteristics  and  Doctrines  of  Jesus  Christ  66 
"        V. — Character  of  the  Primitive  Christian  Church.  65 

*'      VI.— Fall  of  the  Primitive  Christian  Church 71 

"    Vn.— Rise  of  the  "Two  Witnesses" 78 

"  VIII. — Character  of  the  Church  of  Christ's  Second 

Appearing 86 

*'     IX.— Mode  of  "Worship 90 

"       X. — Doctrines  of  the  Church  of  Christ's  Second 
Appearing — 
Pabt  I. — Mosaic  Sabbaths,  and  Higher  and 

Lower  Law 9i 

*  *    n. — Probation,  and  Heavens  and  Hells .  98 


X  CONTENTS. 

Page 

Part  III.— God  dual— Faihei  and  Motlier. .  103 
"     IV. — Judgment-day,  and  Confession 

of  Sins 114 

"       v.— The  Bible 118 

Chapter  XI. — Biographies  of  the  Six  Founders  of  the 

Shaker  Society — Ann  Lee 120 

XII.— WiUiam  Lee 156 

"      Xin.— James  Whittaker 160 

"      XIV.— John  Hocknell 181 

"        XV. — Joseph  Meacham  and  Lucy  "Wright 183 

List  of  Books  published  Tjy  the  Society,  and  List  of  the 
Branches  of  the  Society,  -with  their  Locations  and 
Addresses 186,  188 


SHAKERS  Am  SHAKERISM. 


CHAPTER   I. 

ORIGIN   OF   THE   SOCIETY. 

1.  Shakekism  is  claimed,  by  its  advocates,  to 
be  the  ultimate,  or  second  Christian^  Church — 
the  Millennium. 

2.  The  inquiry  naturally  arises.  What  elements 
produced  the  Shaker  Societies  ?  To  meet  this, 
reference  must  be  had  to  historical  facts  bearing 
upon  the  subject.  But  let  the  following  proposi- 
tion be  first  considered  :  namely,  that  at  a  given 
part,  point,  and  time  of  every  cycle  of  human 
affairs,  in  all  ages,  nations,  and  tribes,  there  have 
invariably  arisen  an  order  and  people  analogous  (in 
some  measure)  to  the  American  Shakers,  No 
matter  what  the  name  by  which  history  designates 


12  SHAKERS    AND    SHAKEE16M. 

them  ;   they  are  easily  recognized  by  certain  dis- 
tinguishing marks. 

3.  China,  Persia,  India  had  their  ascetics  ; 
Rome,  her  sibyls  and  vestals ;  Egypt,  her  Thera- 
peutics ;  and  Judea,  the  self-denying  Essenes,  among 
whom  it  is  thought  Jesus  received  his  education 
and  early  training.  Speaking  of  these,  Philo  says : 
''  In  many  parts  of  the  earth,  such  a  people  exist ; 
for  it  is  fitting  that  both  Greek  and  Barbarian 
share  in  the  absolute  good."  Pliny  the  Elder 
says :  "  The  Essenes  were  a  sort  of  people  who 
lived  without  women  and  money." 

4.  As  the  lowest  types  of  humanity  are  those 
who  seek  happiness  the  most  exclusively  in  the 
indulgence  of  the  baser  and  animal  propensities, 
so  the  saints  of  all  times  have  moved  the  farthest 
in  the  opposite  direction.  Abstinence  from  sexual 
intercourse,  from  private  property,  from  war,  oaths, 
and  the  honors  of  the  world,  have  ever  been  the 
chief  characteristics  of  ascetics,  in  all  ages. 

5.  The  principles  and  maxims  of  Jesus,  as  ex- 
plained and  confirmed  by  his  own  teaching  and  prac- 
tice, and  measurably  by  that  of  his  first  twelve 


ORIGIN    OF   THE    SOCIETY.  13 

converts  and  most  intimate  friends,  the  Apostles, 
seem  to  give  countenance  to  the  idea,  that  some 
great  and  important  truths  underlie  all  these 
(often)  abnormal  operations  of  mind  that,  from 
age  to  age,  were  struggling  for  expression  and  em- 
bodiment in  human  action. 

6.  The  whole  of  human  history  is  comprised 
^Yithin  four  large  cycles,  three  of  which  are  already 
past,  and  the  fourth  has  commenced.  Within 
these  exist  an  almost  infinity  of  smaller  cycles,  as 
was  well  and  beautifully  illustrated  to  the  prophet 
Ezekiel,  in  a  vision  of  a  number  of  wheels  revolv- 
ing within  wheels. 

7.  Every  cycle  of  human  history,  whether  on  a 
low  or  high  plane,  or  small  or  large  scale,  has  its 
point  of  highest  development :  first,  of  the  phys- 
ical /  devoted  to  the  supply  of  the  mere  animal  or 
bodily  wants:  second,  of  the  morale  which  sub- 
serves a  negative  protective  influence  to^the  phys- 
ical :  third,  of  the  intellectual  jpowers  ;  by  which 
tools  and  machinery  are  created  (constituting  man 
a  tool-making  animal),  which  facilitate  and  increase 
the  means  of  physical  subsistence,  and  greatly  en- 


14  SHAKEES   AJS'D    SIIAKKEISM. 

hance  the  enjoyment  of  the  moral  faculties,  on  the 
one  hand ;  and,  on  the  other,  they  prepare  the  soul 
for  the  opening  of  its  spiritual  capacities  ;  by  which 
means  an  intelligent  union  and  connection  is  formed 
and  sustained  between  the  visible  and  invisible 
earths,  or  worlds,  and  their  respective  inhabitants. 

8.  All  these,  combined,  form  the  basis  of  the 
final  unfoldment  of  the  last  and  highest  property 
and  faculty  of  the  soul,  viz.,  the  religious.  Con- 
sequently the  quality  and  abstract  truthfulness  of 
the  purest  form  of  religion  evolved  in  any  given 
cycle,  was  determined  by  the  time  of  day  in  the 
great  year  of  progress,  and  the  number  and  plane 
of  the  cycle.  But,  whether  higher  or  lower,  it 
was,  in  its  degree,  the  witness  of  the  Church  of 
the  future — a  lively  type  of  Slicckerism^  the  ulti- 
mate Christian,  or  Millennial^  Church,  for  the 
redemption  of  our  race. 

9.  Whenever,  in  a  cycle,  the  culminating  point 
of  Spiritualism  has  been  reached,  then  the  religious 
element  has  moved  thereupon,  and  finally  ultimated 
itself  in  a  Church,  which  was  emphatically  the 
Church  of  God  of  that  cycle  and  period. 


ORIGIN   OF  THE   SOCIETY.  15 

10.  The  flood  of  Noah  was  merely  the  greatest 
spiritual-physical  manifestation  of  the  cycle  of  that 
day.  The  building  of  the  ark  was  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  religious  constructive  elements  that 
moved  upon  the  spiritual.  In  the  next  great  cycle 
the  spiritual  elements  had,  in  Egypt,  progressed 
and  ripened  up  in  the  days  of  Moses.  The  ten 
plagues  were  ten  spiritual-physical  manifestations ; 
and  Moses  came  off  conqueror,  in  his  contests  with 
the  Egyptian  magicians  (spiritual  media),  because 
he  was  vitalized  by  the  Tclicjious  or  controlling  ele- 
ment of  that  order. 

11.  Under  its  influence,  Moses  organized  the 
whole  nation  of  the  Hebrews  into  a  highly  spirit- 
ualized religious  body,  or  Church ;  the  most  per- 
fect that  had  ever  been  established  upon  earth,  for 
the  simple  yet  significant  reason,  that  he  had  been 
previously  fully  developed  in  all  the  preceding  pre- 
paratory degrees  of  the  cycle.  He  "  was  learned 
in  all  the  wisdom  of  the  Egyptians,  and  was 
mighty  in  word  and  deed,"  having  been  educated 
under  the  auspices  of  the  royal  family. 

12.  The  third  great  cycle  culminated  in  Spirit- 


16  SHAKEES    AND    SKAKEEISM. 

ualism,  in  the  days  of  Jesus,  That  such  is  the 
fact,  is  abundantly  proved  by  the  testimony  of  pro- 
fane as  well  as  sacred  history.  Dr.  Lightfoot  ob- 
serves :  ''  Judea  was  so  infested  with  spirits  at 
that  time,  that  thousands  of  persons  were  obsessed 
by  them ;  many  of  whom  Jesus  and  his  disciples 
released."  Josephus,  an  eye-witnesSj  relates,  that 
sights,  sounds,  and  voices  were  seen  and  heard  by 
the  whole  city  of  Jerusalem.  And,  according  to 
the  Scriptural  records,  duml)  animals  were  some- 
times taken  possession  of  by  spirits. 

13.  Spiritual-physical  manifestations  attended 
the  whole  life  of  John  and  Jesus,  from  their  con- 
ception to  their  death.  The  religious  elements 
of  that  cycle  were  concentrated  in  Jesus,  as  an 
iiidividual.  At  the  day  of  Pentecost,  the  same 
elements  concentred,  and  were  organized  in  the 
most  spiritually  endowed  body  of  people,  or 
Church,  that  any  cycle  had  ever  been  capable  of 
producing. 

14.  Jesus  and  his  Apostles  continually  referred 
to  the  next,  or  fourth  and  last,  great  cycle  as  the 
time  for  "  the  7'estitution  of  all  things,  which  God 


ORIGIN   OF   THE    SOCIETY.  lY 

had  spoken  by  the  mouth  of  all  his  prophets  [in 
all  nations  and  cycles]  since  the  world  began." 
It  was  at  the  spiritual  acme  of  this  cycle,  that  the 
Christ  (whom  John  saw  as  a  dove  appear  to  Jesus) 
would  come  again^  to  some  other  individual.  This 
second  coming^  the  Shakers  claim,  must  of  neces- 
sity have  been  to  a  woman^  because  the  race  is 
female  as  well  as  male, 

15.  We  Avill  endeavor  to  show,  in  its  right 
place,  from  proper  historical  data,  that  the  rise  of 
the  Shalcer  Church,  or  order,  has  been  agreeable 
to  the  premises  above  laid  down ;  as  has  also  the 
formation  of  all  the  Shaker  communities. 

16.  Dr.  Adam  Clarke  says  :  '^  Every  dispensa- 
tion of  God  must  begin  in  some  one  individual^ 
and  at  some  particular  time  and  place."  That  is 
correct.  A  true  Church  could  have  originated 
only  by  a  Qiew  revelation  from  God  to  some  one 
person ;  and  then  by  that  person  reducing  the 
truths  and  requirements  thereof  to  practice. 

IT.  Shaker   Societies    always   originate   in   the 
spiritual  part  of  a  cycle.     There  is,  first,  a  gene- 
ral agitation  of  the  spiritual  elements  ;  out  of  that 
2 


18  SHAKEKS    AND    SKAKEEISM. 

arises  a  movement  of  the  religious  elements  in 
man.  This  leads  to  the  formation  of  one  or  more 
Shaker  Societies,  according  to  the  order  of  the 
cycle  that  is  revolving.  Therefore  the  Shakers 
now  confidently  expect  the  time  has  nearly  arrived 
for  a  further  extension  of  their  order. 

18.  The  natural  and  spiritual  worlds  are  now 
coming  into  a  state  of  rapport  with  each  other; 
and  the  spiritual  faculties  in  man,  which  have  for 
a  long  time  been  in  a  state  of  dormancy,  are  being 
aroused  and  developed  very  extensively ;  and  soon 
the  religious  nature  of  man  will  be  quickened,  and 
religious  revivals  vrill  commence  on  a  grander  and 
more  effective  scale  than  have  ever  been  witnessed ; 
for  they  will  rest  upon  the  basis  of,  and  spread 
over  the  ground  prepared  by,  Sjyiritiialism. 

19.  In  the  beginning  of  the  eighteenth  century, 
Spiritualism  broke  out  on  the  continent  of  Europe, 
and  was  followed  by  most  remarkable  religious  re- 
vivals; out  of  vvhich  arose  the  "French  prophets." 
These  were  wrought  upon  in  a  very  extraordinary 
manner ;  not  only  in  their  minds,  but  also  in  their 
physical  systems.     They  had  visions  and  trances, 


OKIGCs    OF   THE    SOCIETY.  19 

and  were  subject  to  violent  agitations  of  body. 
Men  and  vromen,  and  even  little  children,  were  so 
exercised,  as  tliat  spectators  were  struck  with 
great  wonder  and  astonishment.  Their  powerful 
admonitions  and  prophetic  warnings  were  heard 
and  received  with  reverence  and  awe. 

20.  They  testified  that  the  end  of  all  things 
drew  nigh ;  and  admonished  the  people  to  repent, 
and  amend  their  lives.  They  gave  warning  of  the 
near  approach  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  the 
"  acceptable  year  of  the  Lord  ;"  and,  in  many 
prophetic  messages,  declared  to  the  world,  that 
those  numerous  Scripture  prophecies  concerning 
the  new  heaven  and  the  new  earth,  the  kingdom  of 
the  Messiah,  the  Marriage  of  the  Lamb,  tlie  first 
resurrection,  and  the  New  Jerusalem  descending 
from  above,  were  near  at  hand,  and  would  shortly 
be  accomplished. 

21.  They  also  testified,  with  great  power  and 
energy  of  spirit,  against  those  false  systems  of  re- 
ligion, and  that  antichristian  dominion,  which  had 
borne  such  extensive  sway  among  mankind  ;  and 
predicted  their  certain  downfall  and  destruction. 


20  SHAKEES   AXD    SHAXERISM. 

They  declared  that,  when  all  these  false  systems, 
of  human  invention,  and  all  the  deceitful  and 
abominable  works  of  man,  should  be  pulled  down 
and  destroyed,  there  would  be  but  one  Lord,  one 
faith,  one  heart,  and  one  voice  among  mankind ; 
and  that  these  things  would  be  wrought  by  a  sjyir- 
itual  influence  proceeding  from  living  witnesses, 
who,  by  the  inspiration  of  the  Spirit,  should  be 
sent  forth  as  laborers  into  the  harvest  field. 

22.  They  continued  their  prophetic  warnings 
(under  much  persecution)  for  several  years,  over 
the  greater  part  of  Europe.  And,  in  the  year 
1706,  the  revival  extended  to  England,  where  it 
spread  far  and  wide. 

23.  About  the  year  1747,  some  members  of  the 
Society  of  Quakers,  w^ho  had  become  subjects  of 
the  revival,  formed  themselves  into  a  society,  of 
which  Jane  and  James  Wardley  were  the  lead. 
Of  this  little  society  Ann  Lee  and  her  parents 
were  members.  They  were  all  devoutly  sincere  in 
the  cause  of  God.  James  was  gifted  in  public 
speaking. 

24.  This  infant  society  practiced  no  forms,  and 


OKIGLN'    OF   TnE    SOCIETY.  1^1 

adopted  no  creeds,  as  rules  of  faitli  or  worship ; 
but  gave  themselves  up  to  be  led  and  guided 
entirely  by  the  operations  of  the  Spirit  of  God. 
Their  meetings  were  powerful  and  animated,  and 
were  attended  with  remarkable  signs  and  opera- 
tions, and  with  the  spirit  of  prophecy  and  Divine 
revelation. 

25.  They  boldly  testified  that  the  second  ap- 
pearing of  Christ  was  at  hand ;  and  that  the 
Church  v/ould  rise  in  its  full  and  transcendent 
glory,  and  effect  the  final  downfall  of  antichrist. 
They  affirmed  that  the  work  of  the  great  day  of 
God  was  then  commencing,  and  would  increase, 
until  every  promise  of  God  should  be  fulfilled. 

2G.  Sometimes,  after  sitting  awhile  in  silent  med- 
itation, they  were  seized  with  a  mighty  trembling, 
under  which  they  would  often  express  the  indigna- 
tion of  God  against  all  sin.  At  other  times,  they 
were  exercised  with  singing,  shouting,  and  leaping 
for  joy,  at  the  near  prospect  of  salvation.  They 
were  often  exercised  with  great  agitation  of  body 
and  limbs,  shaking,  running,  and  walking  the  floor, 
with  a  variety  of  other  operations  and  signs,  swift- 


22  SHAEIES    AND    SHAKEEISM. 

ly  passing  and  repassing  each  other,  like  clouds 
agitated  with  a  mighty  wind.  These  exercises,  so 
strange  in  the  eyes  of  the  beholders,  brought  upon 
them  the  appellation  of  ShaJcei's^  which  has  been 
their  most  common  name  of  distinction  ever  since. 

2T.  They  were  exposed  to  much  opposition  and 
persecution.  Their  houses  were  often  beset  by 
mobs,  their  windows  broken,  and  their  persons 
were  shamefully  abused.  But  they  bore  these 
things  with  great  patience,  and  fearlessly  continued 
their  assemblies  and  their  testimony.  Their  meet- 
ings, which  began  in  Bolton,  liear  Manchester,  were 
afterward  held  alternately  in  Bolton  and  Manches- 
ter ;  and  occasionally  at  Chester,  Mayortown,  and 
some  other  places  in  the  vicinity  of  Manchester. 

28.  They  continued  to  increase  in  light  and 
power,  with  occasional  additions  to  their  number, 
till  about  the  year  1770,  when,  by  a  special  mani- 
festation of  Divine  light,  the  present  testimony  of 
salvation  and  eternal  life  was  fully  revealed  to  Ann 
Lee,  and  by  her  to  the  Society,  by  whom  she,  from 
that  time,  was  acknowledged  as  Mother  in  Christ, 
and  by  them  was  called  Mother  Anii. 


ORIGIN   OF   THE    SOCIETY.  23 

29.  Mother  Ann  said:  "I  saw  in  vision  the 
Lord  Jesus  in  his  kingdom  and  glory.  He  re- 
vealed to  me  the  depth  of  man's  loss,  what  it  was, 
and  the  way  of  redemption  therefrom.  Then  I 
was  ahle  to  hear  an  open  testimony  against  the  sin 
that  is  the  root  of  all  evil ;  and  I  felt  the  power 
of  God  flow  into  my  soul  like  a  fountain  of  living 
water.  From  that  day  I  have  been  able  to  take 
up  a  full  cross  against  all  the  doleful  works  of  the 
flesh." 

oOi  About  the  year  1774,  Mother  Ann  received 
a  revelation,  directing  her  to  repair  to  America ; 
also  that  the  second  Christian  Church  would  be 
established  in  America ;  that  the  Colonies  would 
gain  their  independence ;  and  that  liberty  of  con- 
science would  be  secured  to  all  people,  whereby 
they  would  be  able  to  worship  God  without  hin- 
drance or  molestation. 

31.  This  revelation  was  communicated  to  the 
Society,  and  was  confirmed  by  numerous  signs, 
visions,  and  extraordinary  manifestations,  to  many 
of  the  members ;  and  permission  was  given  for  all 
those  of  the  Society  who  were  able,  and  who  felt 


24  SHAKEES    AND    SHAKERISM. 

any  special  impressions  on  their  own  minds  so  to 
do,  to  accompany  her. 

82.  Those  who  became  the  companions  of 
Mother  Ann,  in  her  voyage  to  America,  were : 
Abraham  Stanley  (her  husband),  Wm.  Lee  (her 
brother),  James  Whittaker,  John  Hocknell,  Rich- 
ard Hocknell  (son  of  John),  James  Shepherd,  Mary 
Partington,  and  Nancy  Lee  (a  niece  of  Mother 
Ann).  Having  settled  their  affairs  and  made 
arrangements  for  the  voyage,  they  embarked  at 
Liverpool,  and  set  sail  on  the  19th  of  May,  1774, 
and  debarked  on  the  6th  of  August  following,  at 
New  York. 

33.  Arrived  in  America,  they  settled  in  the 
woods,  seven  miles  from  Albany,  where  is  now 
located  the  village  of  Watervliet.  Here,  sur- 
rounded by  Dutch  settlers,  they  resided  three 
years  and  a  half,  waiting  for  the  fulfillment  of 
Mother  Ann's  prophecy — the  cjatliering  of  persons 
to  the  Gospel  of  ChrisPs  second  appearing^  of 
which  she  was  the  Messenger. 


CHAPTER   II. 

EISE,    PROGKESS,    AXD    PEESEi^T    STATE    OF    THE 
SOCIETY. 

1.  Community  of  goods  has  never  been  so  suc- 
cessfully accomplished  as  by  the  Shakers.  We 
propose,  therefore,  first  to  take  a  view  of  them 
from  that  stand-point. 

2.  Shakerism  as  a  system  is  more  varied  in  its 
elements,  and  complex*  and  expansive  in  its  char- 
acter, than  is  any  other  purely  religious  system 
within  our  knowledge,  and  of  course  its  adherents 
esteem  it  as  the  most  perfect  and  comprehensive ; 
urging  as  a  reason,  that  it  takes  possession  and 
entire  cognizance  of  the  whole  man  /  and,  instead 
of  attending  solely  to  his  spiritual  necessities  for 

<^"  Complex,  in  the  sense  of  a  large  "  assemblage"  of  ideas, 
or  ^^  collection"   of  elements  of  truth,    "  tmst&i"  or  "wove" 
together  into  a  unitary  system. — "Webster 
2 


26  SHAKEES    A^T)    SHAKEKISM. 

only  o?ie  day  in  seven^  it  cares  for  and  supplies 
all  his  teinjporal  as  well  as  spiritual  wants  seven 
days  in  the  loeeh. 

3.  The  physical  (not  the  mere  animal)  and 
moral,  and  the  intellectual  and  affectional  nature 
and  faculties,  together  with  the  s-piritiial  as  the 
ruling  and  governing  element,  are  all  to  be  fully 
developed  and  pre-eminently  satisfied  by  the  ^dti- 
mate  operation  of  this  system,  according  to  the 
faith  and  confident  expectation  of  its  votaries. 

4.  In  1779,  a  very  singular  and  strange  revival 
of  religion  occurred  in  the  town  of  New  Lebanon, 
N.  Y.,  and  the  surrounding  country.  The  people 
were  powerfully  and  wonderfully  exercised  in  body 
and  soul.  Professors  of  religion  who  had  been 
the  most  exemplary  and  strict  in  the  observance  of 
every  means  of  grace,  began  to  doubt  the  founda- 
tion upon  which  they  had  built  their  hopes  of 
salvation. 

5.  Some  had  visions  and  prophecies  that  the  da} 
of  judgment  and  redemption  was  at  hand,  and  that 
the  second  coming  of  Christ  was  nigh — even  at  the 
door.     In  their  meetings  were  heard  loud  cries  for 


ITS  EISEj   PEOGEESS,  AXD  PEESEXT  STATE.       27 

the  kingdom  to  come,  and  a  powerful  testimony 
against  all  sin ;  and  the  various  exercises  and  gifts 
of  the  Spirit  gave  convincing  evidence  of  its  being 
a  genuine  work  of  God. 

6.  Some,  under  a  deep  conviction  of  their  sins, 
cried  for  mercy  ;  others  felt  unspeakably  happy  in 
the  joyful  visions  and  revelations  of  the  glory  of 
the  latter  day,  and  of  the  commencement  of  the 
kindgom  of  Christ  upon  earth,  -which  was  to  put 
an  end  to  wars  and  fightings,  and  all  manner  of 
violence,  restore  peace  on  earth,  make  an  end  of 
sin,  bring  in  everlasting  righteousness,  and  gather 
the  saints  into  one  harmonious  communion. 

7.  The  work  was  powerful  and  swift,  but  of 
short  duration.  In  a  few  months  their  visions  and 
prophecies  ceased,  the  extraordinary  power  of  their 
testimony  seemed  to  be  at  an  end,  and  none  of 
those  things  of  which  they  had  testified  appeared. 
In  this  situation  they  were  filled  with  deep  distress 
and  anxiety  of  mind,  but  still  retained  their  con- 
fidence in  the  near  approach  of  Christ's  kingdom, 
and  continued  their  assemblies  with  earnest  prayer 
and  exhortations,  encouraging  one  another  to  main- 


28  SHAKEES   AITD    SHAKEEISM. 

tain  their  faith  and  hope,  to  wait  with  patience, 
and  to  "  pray  and  not  faint." 

8.  This  was  the  state  of  the  people  in  the  spring 
of  1780,  when  some  of  them  visited  Mother  Ann 
and  her  little  family,  and  were  soon  convinced  that 
tliey  were  in  the  very  work  for  which  themselves 
had  been  so  earnestly  praying,  and  for  which  they 
had  been  looking  and  waiting  with  such  ardent  ex- 
pectations. 

9.  Attracted  by  the  reports  of  these,  others 
were  induced  to  visit  them ;  and  the  fame  of  these 
strange  people,  who  lived  in  this  obscure  corner 
of  the  wilderness,  extended  far  and  wide.  Many 
from  New  Lebanon  and  the  country  round  resorted 
to  them  ;  and  when  they  heard  the  new  and  living 
testimony,  and  saw  the  various  and  extraordinary 
operations  of  Divine  power  among  them,  they  were 
fully  confirmed  in  the  belief  that  Christ  had  in 
very  deed  appeared  again  on  earth,  and  many  of 
them  (of  various  denominations)  embraced  the  faith 
of  the  Society. 

10.  Such  were  some  of  the  preliminary  spiritual 
and  religious  operations  that  preceded  the  organiza- 


ITS  EISEj  PKOGKESSj   AXD  PEESEN'T  STATE.       29 

tion  of  the  Shaker  Society  at  New  Lebanon,  and  are 
a  fair  specimen  of  the  manner  in  which  all  the  suc- 
ceeding societies  originated  and  have  been  founded. 

11.  About  the  beginning  of  the  present  century, 
another  extraordinary  revival  of  religion,  known  as 
the  "  Kentucky  JRevival^'^^  commenced  in  the 
Western  States.  This  work  was  also  very  swift 
and  powerful,  and  gave  such  evident  proofs  of 
supernatural  power,  that  it  excited  the  attention 
of  all  classes  of  persons,  and  for  a  season  bore 
down  all  opposition.  The  very  astonishing  out- 
ward operations  that  attended  that  work  are 
widely  published,  and  have  been  the  subjects  of 
close  and  serious  investigation. 

12.  Besides  the  wonderful  operations  of  spirit- 
ual power  upon  their  bodies,  the  subjects  of  this 
work  were  greatly  exercised  in  dreams,  visions, 
revelations,  and  the  spirit  of  prophecy.  In  these 
gifts  of  the  Spirit  they  saw  and  testified  that  the 
great  day  of  God  was  at  hand,  that  Christ  was 
about  to  set  up  his  kingdom  on  earth,  and  that 
this  very  work  would  terminate  in  the  full  mani- 
festation of  the  latter  day  of  glory. 


30  SHAKEES    AND    SIIAKERISSI. 

13.  This  spiritual  manifestation  extended  through 
several  of  the  Western  States,  and  continued,  with 
increasing  light  and  power,  for  about  four  j^ears. 
During  the  latter  part  of  the  year  1804,  many  of 
its  subjects  were  powerfully  impressed  with  a  be- 
lief that  another  summer  would  not  pass  away 
without  realizing  a  full  display  of  that  great  salva- 
tion from  all  sin  for  which  they  had  been  so  long 
and  earnestly  praying. 

14.  The  Believers  in  the  Eastern  States  received 
repeated  intelligence  of  this  work  through  the  pub- 
lic papers ;  and,  well  remembering  the  prophecy 
of  Mother  Ann,  that  the  next  opening  of  the  Gos- 
pel would  be  in  the  West,  they  began  to  look  for 
its  speedy  fulfillment.  This  prophecy  had  often 
been  spoken  of  while  that  country  was  the  theater 
of  Indian  wars,  and  it  appeared  that  its  fulfillment 
was  near  at  hand.  Accordingly,  the  next  year, 
the  Church  at  New  Lebanon  sent  three  mission- 
aries to  them. 

15.  Without  any  previous  acquaintance  in  that 
country,  or  any  correspondence  with  any  of  its 
inhabitants,  these  messengers,  on  the  first  of  Janu- 


ITS  RISE,   PEOGEESS,  AXD  PEESEXT  STATE.       31 

ary,  1805,  set  out  on  a  pedestrian  journey  of  more 
than  a  thousand  miles.  They  arrived  in  Kentucky 
about  the  first  of  March.  They  then  went  to  a 
number  of  places  where  the  spirit  of  the  revival 
bad  prevailed,  and  conversed  with  many  who  had 
been  the  subjects  thereof;  and  having,  with  some 
freedom,  declared  the  object  of  their  mission,  the}'' 
passed  over  into  the  State  of  Ohio.  After  visiting 
and  conversing  with  some  of  the  subjects  of  the 
revival  in  Springfield,  they  proceeded  on  to  Turtle 
Creek,  near  Lebanon,  in  the  county  of  Warren, 
whither  they  arrived  on  the  22d  of  March. 

16.  They  were  spiritually  led  to  the  house  of 
Malcham  Worley,  a  man  of  respectable  character, 
handsome  fortune,  liberal  education,  and  who  had 
been  a  leading  character  in  the  revival.  Here 
they  felt  free  to  declare  their  mission,  and  to  open 
their  testimony  in  full,  which  Malcham  received 
with  great  joy,  and  declared  to  them  that  it  was 
the  very  work  that,  by  the  spirit  of  prophecy,  he 
had  been  taught  to  look  for. 

17.  This  man  had  very  frequently  testified,  by 
the  Spirit,  that  the  work  of  the  latter  day  which 


32  SHAKEES   AXD    SHAKEBISM. 

would  usher  in  the  kingdom  of  Christ  in  that 
country  •would  commence  at  that  place,  which  was 
situated  between  the  two  Miama  rivers,  near  Turtle 
Creek ;  and  there  the  work  did  commence,  and  he 
and  his  family  were  the  first  to  embrace  it.  From 
thence  it  spread,  and  was  cordially  received  by 
many  of  the  subjects  of  the  revival  in  that  vicin- 
ity, and  in  a  short  time  it  had  an  extensive  circu- 
lation through  that  part  of  the  State,  and  soon 
afterward  it  extended  into  Kentucky  and  Indiana, 
and  was  joyfully  received  by  many. 

18.  The  testimony  mostly  prevailed  in  the  States 
of  Ohio  and  Kentucky,  where  societies  are  now 
established.  Many  persons  from  other  States, 
having  received  the  testimony,  have  become  mem- 
bers. 

19.  In  the  State  of  Ohio  there  are  four  socie- 
eties — one  at  Union  Village,  about  four  miles  west 
from  Lebanon,  and  about  30  miles  north-by-east 
from  Cincinnati,  Warren  County.  This  is  the 
oldest  and  largest  society  in  the  Western  States, 
and  contains  about  500  members.  The  second 
Society  is  at  Watervliet,  on  Beaver  Creek,  about 


ITS  EISEj   PROGRESS,   AND  PRESENT   STATE.       33 

22  miles  north  from  Union  Village,  and  six  south- 
east from  Dayton,  in  Montgomery  County,  and 
contains  about  100  members. 

20.  The  third  Society  is  at  Whitewater,  22 
miles  northwest  from  Cincinnati,  Hamilton  County, 
and  contains  about  200  members.  The  fourth 
Society  is  at  North  Union,  about  eight  miles  north- 
east from  Cleveland,  and  contains  about  200  mem- 
bers. 

21.  In  the  State  of  Kentucky  there  are  two 
societies — one  at  Pleasant  Hill,  about  seven  miles 
easterly  from  Harrodsburg,  and  21  miles  south- 
west from  Lexington,  Mercer  County,  which  con- 
tains between  four  and  five  hundred  members. 
The  other  is  at  South  Union,  Jasper  Springs, 
about  15  miles  northeast  from  Russellville,  Logan 
County,  and  contains  between  three  and  four  hun- 
dred members. 

22.  There  are  18  Shaker  Societies,  all  holding 
jproperty  in  common.  Yet  this  does  not  repre- 
sent the  actual  number  of  their  community  organ- 
izations, from  the  fact,  not  generally  known,  that 
each  society  is  constituted  of  several  distinct  fami- 


34  SHAKEES   AlsD   SHAKEEISM. 

lies,  or  communities,  which  are  self-supporting,  and 
possess  within  themselves  perfect  organizations  in 
both  temporal  and  spiritual  matters,  regularly  offi- 
cered, comprising  elders,  deacons,  care-takers,  etc., 
of  both  the  male  ^nH  female  order,  agreeably  to  the 
unique  custom  of  this  singular  people,  who,  although 
regarded  by  the  world  as  almost  7nisogynists  (wo- 
man-haters), have  been  the  first  to  disenthrall  wo- 
man from  the  condition  of  vassalage  to  which  all 
other  religious  systems  (more  or  less)  consign  her, 
and  to  secure  to  iier  those  just  and  equal  rights 
with  man  that,  by  her  similarity  to  him  in  organ- 
ization and  faculties,  both  God  and  nature  would 
seem  to  demand,  inasmuch  as  the  sisterhood  is 
officered  and  governed  throughout  by  members  of 
their  own  sex. 

23.  The  Society  cf  New  Lebanon  possesses 
eight  of  these  families,  or  communities. 

24.  The  Shaker  Societies  have  not  yet  extended 
beyond  the  boundaries  of  the  "  Model  Republic ;" 
which  is  accounted  for  by  the  Shakers  themselves 
thus : — They  say  their  religion  can  not  exist  and 
flourish  except  under  such  governments  as  secure 


ITS  RISE^   PliOGRESS,  AND  PRESENT  STATE.       35 

freedom  of  person,  freedom  of  speech  and  of  the 
press,  liberty  of  conscience,  and  perfect  separation 
between  church  and  state. 

25.  In  the  public  mind  an  unusual  amount  of 
Interest  attaches  to  these  organizations,  from  the 
consideration  that  among  the  tens  of  thousands,  in 
both  Europe  and  America,  who  (theoretically)  as 
fully  indorse  the  principle  of  community  of  goods^ 
and  approve  the  abnegation  of  the  private,  selfish 
property  principle,  as  do  the  "  American  Shakers" 
themselves  ;  yet  hitherto  no  attempts  to  found  and 
perpetuate  a  community  of  interest  and  of  goods, 
and  to  reconstruct  society  upon  this  basis,  have 
proved  really  successful,  except  when  made  under 
the  auspices  of,  and  in  accordance  with,  the  pecu- 
liar religious  requirements  of  all  the  combined  ele- 
ments of  Shakerism. 

26.  "  The  full  tide  of  their  successful  experi- 
ments" has  already  extended  itself  over  seventy 
years,  without  a  single  failure  ;  while  the  followers 
of  Owen  and  Fourier  have  established  communities 
only  to  awaken  hopes  that  were  doomed  to  be  frus- 
trated by  their  early  dissolution ;  and  if  any  yet 


36  SHAKERS   AND   SHAKEEISM. 

remain,  they  give  marked  indications  of  the  wind- 
ing up  of  their  affairs  at  no  distant  period  in  the 
future. 

27.  The  oldest  and  largest  Shaker  Society  is  at 
New  Lebanon^  two  miles  and  a  half  from  Lebanon 
Springs,  and  25  miles  southeast  of  Albany,  Colum- 
bia County,  N.  Y.     It  contains  about  600  members. 

28.  There  is  also  a  society  at  each  of  the  fol- 
lowing places,  namely : 

Watervliet^  about  seven  miles  northwest  of 
Albany,  N.  Y.     Members,  upward  of  300. 

Grovelandy  Livingston  County,  N.  Y.,  about 
four  miles  south  of  Mount  Morris.  Members, 
about  150. 

Hancock^  three  miles  from  New  Lebanon,  and 
five  from  Pittsfield,  Berkshire  County,  Mass. 
Members,  between  two  and  three  hundred. 

Tyringliam.)  16  miles  from  Hancock,  same 
county  and  State.     Members,  about  100. 

Enfield^  Hartford  County,  Conn.  Members, 
about  200. 

Harvard^  Worcester  County,  Mass.  Members, 
about  200. 


ITS  RISE,  PEOGKESS,  AND  PRESENT  STATE.       37 

Shirley^  Middlesex  County,  Mass.  Members, 
about  100. 

Ccmterbury^  Merrimack  County,  N.  H.  (near 
Concord).     Members,  about  300. 

Enfield^  Grafton  County,  IN".  H.  Members, 
about  300. 

Alfred^  York  County,  Maine.  Members,  about 
150. 

JSfew  Gloucester^  Cumberland  County,  Maine. 
Members,  about  100. 

29.  These  societies  were  all  formed  within  a 
period  of  five  years — from  1787  to  1792 — and  no 
others  were  formed  until  1805. 

30.  At  the  commencement  of  the  year  1780, 
the  whole  number  of  Shakers  was  only  about  ten 
or  twelve  persons,  all  of  whom  came  from  England. 
In  the  spring  of  that  year  the  American  converts 
began  to  gather  to  them,  and  a  gradual  accession 
to  their  numbers  continued  until  about  the  year 
1785.  In  1787,  under  the  superintendence  of  Jo- 
seph Meacham  (formerly  a  Baptist  preacher),  the 
people  collected  together  at  New  Lebanon,  and 
were  organized  into  a  community,  or  church,  which 


o8  SHAKEES    AND    SHAKEEISiM. 

is  the  pattern  and  center  of  union  to  all  the  soci- 
eties, or  branches,  connected  therewith. 

31.  At  that  time  many  of  the  people  were  poor 
in  this  world's  goods,  and  in  debt,  and  some  of 
them  lived  in  log-houses  on  the  side  of  the  mount- 
ain, where  now  the  village  of  New  Lebanon  is 
located. 

32.  The  different  communities,  ov  families^  m 
each  society  number  from  30  to  150  members,  of 
both  sexes,  who  generally  occupy  one  large  unitary 
dwelling-house,  in  which  the  brethren  and  sisters 
live  together  in  a  spiritual  order  and  social  rela- 
tion, which  is  the  most  perfectly  represented  by  a 
house  or  family  where  the  parents  have  numerous 
sons  and  daughters. 

33.  The  fact  that,  in  all  civihzed  countries, 
families  are  not  expected  to  form  any  other  than  a 
brotherly  and  sisterly  union,  and  which  may  never, 
however  indirectly,  tend  toward  an  incestuous  con- 
jugal relation,  does  not  prevent  their  enjoyment  of 
social,  friendly  intercourse,  and  a  daily  interchange 
of  kind  offices  with  each  other,  there  being  other 
planes  besides  the  j^rocreative  for  the  action  of  the 


ITS  EISE,   PEOGRESS,   AXD  PEESEXT  STATE.       39 

affectional  nature  in  males  and  females,  even  in 
the  order  of  natural  generation. 

34.  The  Shakers  testify  that  they,  as  a  people, 
find  more  pleasure  and  enjoyment — real  good — 
arising  from  the  celibate  spiritual  union  of  the 
sexes,  and  inoi^e  of  an  absence  of  the  afflictions 
and  annoyances — real  evil — arising  from  the  gene- 
rative union  of  the  sexes,  than,  as  they  believe,  is 
ever  experienced  in  the  order  of  the  world. 

35.  The  apartments  of  the  brethren  and  sisters 
are  usually  at  the  opposite  sides  or  ends  of  the 
house,  which  is  divided  by  spacious  halls.  From 
two  to  six  live  in  a  room.  They  all  eat  at  the 
same  time,  in  a  large  dining-room,  at  different  tables. 

36.  Each  dwelling-house  contains  a  large  meet- 
ing room,  sufficiently  spacious  to  accommodate  all 
the  members  of  the  family,  in  which  they  assemble 
several  times  a  week  for  worship ;  and  twice  or 
thrice  a  week  they  have  union  meetings  in  their 
private  rooms,  where  from  four  to  eight  or  ten 
brethren  and  sisters  spend  an  hour,  sitting  to- 
gether in  social  conversation,  singing,  etc. 

37.  There  are  also  large  buildings,  containing 


40  SHAKERS   AND   SHAKEKISM. 

numerous  workshops,  connected  with  each  family ; 
one  for  brethren,  the  other  for  sisters.  In  these, 
various  branches  of  manufacture  are  carried  on, 
consisting  of  necessary  articles  for  home  consump- 
tion and  for  sale.  They  have  all  the  mechanical 
trades  necessary  to  meet  the  wants  of  a  family. 
Hitherto,  horticulture  has  been  the  leading  busi- 
ness in  many  of  the  societies,  but  they  are  now 
turning  their  attention  considerably  to  agriculture. 

38.  The  Society  at  New  Lebanon  owns  about 
6,000  acres  of  land,  a  large  proportion  of  which  is 
devoted  to  fuel,  timber,  and  sheep,  it  being  very 
mountainous  and  rocky.  The  largest  part  is  in 
the  State  of  Massachusetts.  The  proportion  of 
land  is  about  ten  acres  to  each  individual.  Other 
societies  do  not  vary  much  from  the  same  ratio. 

39.  It  is  now  some  ten  years  since  the  eighteen 
societies  discontinued  the  use  of  swine  as  food. 
Alcoholic  preparations  are  not  drank  or  used,  ex- 
cept under  medical  advisement.  With  the  Shak- 
ers the  objects  of  dress  are  modesty,  health,  and 
comfort ;  and  unless  one  or  other  of  these  objects 
can  be  promoted,  they  never  change  their  fashion. 


ITS  RISE,  PEOGRESS,  AliD  PRESENT  STATE.       41 

40.  Entire  sexual  purity,  temperance  in  food 
and  in  all  other  things,  plainness  and  simplicity  of 
dress,  neatness,  industry,  peace,  charity  to  the 
poor,  and  a  prudent,  saving  economy  in  all  tempo- 
ral things,  are  among  the  virtues  inculcated  and 
practiced  by  the  various  fraternities  of  Shakers, 
■wherever  located;  all  of  which  greatly  tend  to 
promote  the  physical  health  and  material  prosper- 
ity of  these  united  societies,  and  to  insure  the 
good-will  of  their  fellow-creatures,  and  the  blessing 
of  Divine  Providence  upon  all  their  labors. 


CHAPTER   III. 

QUAJLIFICATIOXS  FOR  MEilBEESHIP,  AJ^D  KULES  AlH) 
EEGULATIOIs^S. 

1.  A  CONVERT  to  the  faith  of  Shalierism^  who 
"wishes  to  become  a  Covenant  member,  is  required 
to  pay  all  his  just  debts,  to  discharge  all  legal  ob- 
ligations upon  him,  and,  if  possible,  to  make  resti- 
tution for  all  the  wrongs  committed  against  any 
of  his  fellow-creatures.  A  full  dedication  and  con- 
secration of  person  and  property  is  granted  only  as 
a  special  privilege  to  such  as  have  been  the  most 
faithful  to  comply  with  the  terms  of  probation. 
Nor  is  any  property  required  as  a  requisite  for  ad- 
mission. 

2.  No  flattery,  or  any  undue  influence,  is  ever 
used  to  draw  parties  into  a  oneness  of  temporal 
interest,  as  this  can  be  permanently  satisfactory 


QUAI^IFICATIOXS    FOK   MEMBEESHIP.  43 

only  when  it  is  a  voluntary  act  understandingly 
performed.  Hence  the  most  plain  and  explicit 
statements  are  always  laid  before  the  inquirer,  so 
that  the  whole  ground  may  be  fully  comprehended 
by  the  candidate  for  admission  ;  for  no  act  of 
service  is  considered  by  this  people  to  be  accept- 
able to  God,  except  it  flows  from  the  free,  volun- 
tary emotions  of  the  heart.  And  let  the  reader 
bear  in  mind  that  all  ShaJier  communities  are 
essentially  religious  institutions. 

3.  No  believing  husband  or  wife  is  allowed  to 
separate  from  an  unbelieving  wife  or  husband,  ex- 
cept legally,  or  by  mutual  agreement.  Nor  can 
any  person  who  has  abandoned  his  or  her  partner, 
without  just  and  lawful  cause,  be  received  into 
communion  with  the  Society ;  and  in  case  of  sepa- 
ration between  husband  and  wife,  the  latter  must 
have  a  just  and  righteous  share  of  all  property  in 
their  possession.  Nor  are  parents  allowed  to  di- 
vide their  property  unequally  among  their  children, 
whether  they  be  in  or  out  of  the  Society. 

4.  The  Society  is  not  responsible  for  debts  con- 
tracted  by   persons    previous    to   their    becoming 


4:4  SHAKEES    AND    SHAKEEISM. 

members  ;  and  it  is  expressly  contrary  to  the 
established  principles  of  the  Society  for  any  of  its 
officers,  agents,  or  Covenant  members  to  contract 
debts,  either  on  behalf  of  the  Society  or  of  them- 
selves individually.  All  the  consecrated  property 
of  the  Society  is  held  in  trust  by  trustees  belong- 
ing to  each  community. 

5.  As  industry,  temperance,  and  frugality  are 
cardinal  virtues,  all  (without  exception,  if  able)  are 
employed  in  manual  labor. 

6.  The  government  of  the  Society  is  adapted  to 
the  several  orders  of  which  it  is  composed ;  and, 
not  being  founded  upon  force  and  fraud,  as  a  late 
Austrian  minister  of  state,  Metternich,  is  reported 
to  have  declared  all  human  governments  to  be,  it 
addresses  itself  to  man's  moral  and  affectional 
nature.  All  power  and  authority  under  it  grow 
out  of  the  mutual  faith,  love,  and  confidence  of  all 
its  members.  It  is  these  that  give  effective  force 
and  power  to  the  principles,  laws,  rules,  and  regu- 
lations of  the  Society ;  and  no  person  who  becomes 
permanently  dissatisfied  is  ever  desired  to  remain 
in  the  Society. 


RULES    AXD    EEGUIATIONS.  45 

7.  The  societies  are  divided  into  different  orders, 
or  classes^  commonly  called  families. 

8.  The  first,  or  novitiate  class,  are  those  "who 
receive  faith  and  come  into  a  degree  of  relation 
with  the  Society,  but  choose  to  live  in  their  own 
families  and  manage  their  own  temporal  concerns. 
Any  such  who  choose  may  live  in  that  manner, 
and  be  owned  as  brethren  and  sisters  in  the  Gos- 
pel, so  long  as  they  live  up  to  its  requirements. 

9.  Parents  are  required  to  be  kind  and  dutiful 
to  each  other ;  to  shun  every  appearance  of  evil ; 
to  provide  for  their  family ;  to  bring  up  their  chil- 
dren in  a  godly  manner ;  and  to  use,  improve,  and 
dispose  of  their  property  wisely  ;  but  may  manage 
their  own  affairs  according  to  their  own  discretion. 
They  may  continue  thus  as  long  as  it  comports 
with  their  faith,  circumstances,  and  spiritual  im- 
provement. 

10.  They  are,  however,  required  to  bear  in  mind 
the  necessity  and  importance  of  a  spiritual  increase, 

•  without  which  they  will  be  ever  exposed  to  fall 
back  into  the  spirit  and  course  of  the  world  ;  for 
they  can  no  longer  hold  their  connection  with  the 


46  SHAKEES   AND   SHAKERISM. 

Society  than  they  continue  to  conform  to  its  faith 
and  principles.  Such  persons  are  admitted  to  all 
the  privileges  of  religious  worship  and  spiritual 
communion  in  the  novitiate  order,  and  receive  in- 
struction and  counsel,  according  to  their  needs, 
"whenever  they  feel  it  necessary  to  apply  for  it ; 
and  are  not  debarred  from  any  privilege  of  which 
their  choice,  local  situation,  and  circumstances 
will  admit. 

11.  Members  of  this  class  are  not  controlled  by 
the  Society,  with  regard  to  either  their  property, 
families,  or  children,  but  can  act  as  freely  in  all 
these  respects  as  do  the  members  of  any  other  re- 
ligious society,  and  yet  enjoy  all  their  spiritual 
privileges,  and  retain  their  union  with  the  Society, 
provided  they  do  not  violate  the  faith  and  the 
moral  and  religious  principles  of  the  institution. 

12.  No  children  are  ever  taken  under  the  imme- 
diate charge  of  the  Society,  except  by  the  request 
or  free  consent  of  those  who  have  the  lawful  right 
and  control  of  them,  together  with  the  child's  own 
consent.  Children  thus  received  are  treated  with 
great  care  and  tenderness.     The  government  exer- 


liULES    AND    EEGrLATIOXS.  47 

cised  over  them  is  mild,  gentle,  and  beneficent, 
which  usually  excites  in  them  feelings  of  affection 
towards  one  another,  and  confidence  and  respect  to- 
wards their  care-takers  and  teachers,  which  gene- 
rally produces  a  willing  obedience  in  whatever  is 
required  of  them.  The  practical  exercise  of  mild- 
ness and  gentleness  of  manners  is  early  and  sedu- 
lously cultivated. 

13.  Children  are  early  led  into  the  knowledge  of 
the  sacred  Scriptures,  instructed  in  their  history, 
and  practically  taught  the  divine  precepts  contained 
in  them,  particularly  those  of  Jesus  Christ  and 
his  Apostles.  They  are  also  brought  up  to  some 
manual  occupation  suited  to  their  capacities,  by 
which  to  be  enabled  to  obtain  a  livelihood,  whether 
they  remain  with  the  Society  or  not. 

14.  Of  Shaker  schools,  we  will  simply  give  an 
extract  from  the  "  Report  of  the  Select  Committee 
of  the  Legislative  Assembly  of  the  State  of  New 
York,  April  2d,  1849  :"— 

"  On  examining  the  schools  at  Watervliet  (a  fail 
specimen  of  those  in  the  other  societies),  a 
model  worthy  the  imitation  of  the  best  soci- 


48  SHAKERS   AJ^TD   SHAKEKISM. 

ety  was    presented.      A   full    and    excellent 
library  of  the  most  approved  books  was  found, 
and   a   thorough    education  for  the  business 
man  is  there  imparted,  by  teachers  who  are 
competent  for  the  task.     The  scholars,  both 
male  and  female,  seemed  highly  pleased  with 
their  situation,  and  were  in  the  apparent  en- 
joyment of  all  the  pleasures  of  youthful  life." 
15.  The  second,  or  Junior  Class,  is  composed 
of  persons  who,  not  having  the  charge  of  families, 
and  being  under  no  embarrassments  to  hinder  them 
from  uniting  in  community  order,  choose  to  enjoy 
the  benefits  of  that  situation.     These  enter  into  a 
contract  to  devote  their  services  freely  to  support 
the  interest  of  the  family  of  which  they  may  be 
members,  so  long  as  they  shall  continue  in  that 
order,  at  the  same  time  stipulating  to  claim  no  pe- 
cuniary compensation  for  their  services.     Every 
member  of  such  family  is  benefited  by  the  united 
interest  and  labors  of  the  whole  family,  so  long  as 
they  continue  to  support  the  order  thereof,  and  is 
amply  provided  for  in  health,  sickness,  and  old 
age. 


ErLES   A2s'D    EEGrLATIOXS.  49 

16.  Members  of  this  class  have  the  privilege,  at 
their  option,  of  freely  giving  the  improvement  of 
any  part,  or  all,  of  their  property,  to  be  used  for 
the  mutual  benefit  of  the  family  to  which  they  be- 
long. The  property  itself  may  be  resumed  at  any 
time,  according  to  the  contract,  but  no  interest  can 
be  claimed  for  the  use  thereof ;  nor  can  any  mem- 
ber of  the  family  be  employed  therein  for  wages 
of  any  kind. 

IT.  Members  of  this  class  may  retain  the  law- 
ful ownership  of  all  their  own  property  as  long  as 
they  think  proper ;  and  at  any  time,  after  having 
gained  sufficient  experience  to  be  able  to  act  delib- 
erately and  understandingly,  they  may,  if  they 
choose,  dedicate  and  devote  a  part  or  the  whole, 
and  consecrate  it  forever  to  the  support  of  the 
institution.  This,  however,  is  a  matter  of  free 
choice. 

18.  The  third,  or  Senior  Class,  is  composed  of 
such  persons  as  have  had  sufficient  time  and  oppor- 
tunity practically  to  prove  the  faith  and  manner  of 
life  of  the  Society,  and  who  are  prepared  to  enter 
freely,  fully,  and  voluntarily  into  a  united  and  conse- 


50  SHAKEES   AND    SHAXEEISM. 

crated  interest.  These  covenant  and  agree  to  de- 
vote themselves  and  services,  with  all  they  possess, 
to  the  service  of  God,  and  the  support  of  the  Gospel, 
forever,  solemnly  promising  never  to  bring  debt  or 
damage,  claim  or  demand,  agamst  the  Society,  or 
against  any  member  thereof,  for  any  property  or 
service  they  may  thus  have  devoted  to  the  uses 
and  purposes  of  the  institution.  This  class  con- 
stitutes what  is  denominated  Church  Order. 

19.  To  enter  fully  into  this  order  is  considered 
a  matter  of  the  utmost  importance  to  the  parties 
concerned,  and  therefore  requires  the  most  mature 
and  deliberate  consideration  ;  for,  after  having  made 
such  a  dedication,  according  to  the  laws  of  justice 
and  equity,  there  can  be  no  ground  for  retraction ; 
nor  can  any  one,  by  those  laws,  recover  anything 
thus  dedicated.  Of  this  all  are  fully  apprised  be- 
fore they  enter  into  the  order.  Yet  should  any 
afterwards  withdraw  from  the  Society,  the  trustees 
have  discretionary  power  to  give  them  what  may 
be  thought  reasonable.  No  person  who  withdraws 
peaceably  is  ever  sent  away  empty. 

20.  During  a  period  of  seventy  years,  since  the 


EULES   A:N'D   KECtULATIOXS.  51 

permanent  establishment  of  the  Society  at  New 
Lebanon  and  Watervliet,  there  has  never  been  a 
legal  claim  entered  by  any  person  for  the  recovery 
of  property  brought  into  the  Society. 

21.  The  members  of  this  order  are  all  entitled 
to  equal  benefits  and  privileges,  and  no  difference 
is  ever  made  on  account  of  the  property  any  indi- 
vidual may  have  contributed. 

22.  The  following  extract  from  a  charge  to  a 
jury,  delivered  by  the  Hon.  John  Breathitt,  of 
Kentucky,  shows  the  light  in  which  the  "  Cove- 
nant" of  the  Senior  Order  has  been  viewed  in  a 
court  of  justice : 

"  And  is  it  matter  of  objection  against  any  man 
that  his  motives  are  so  pure  and  disinterested 
that  he  desires  to  be  released  from  earthly 
thraldom,  that  he  may  fix  all  his  thoughts  and 
affections  on  his  God  1  After  they  have  signed 
the  Covenant,  they  are  relieved  from  earthly 
care. 

"  I  repeat  it :  That  individual  who  is  prepared 
to  sign  the  Church  Covenant  stands  in  an 
enviable  situation.     His  situation,  indeed,  is 


62  SHAKERS   AND   SHAEEEISM. 

an  enviable  one,  who,  devoted  to  his  God,  is 
prepared  to  say  of  his  property,  Here  it  is, 
little  or  much,  take  it,  and  leave  me  unmo- 
lested to  commune  with  my  God.  Indeed,  I 
dedicate  myself  to — what  ? — not  to  a  fanatical 
tenet! — 0  no!  to  a  subject  far  beyond — to  the 
worship  of  Almighty  God,  the  great  Creator 
and  Governor  of  the  universe.  Under  the 
influence  of  his  love  I  give  my  all :  only  let 
me  w^orship  according  to  my  faith  and  in  a 
manner  I  believe  to  be  acceptable  to  my  God. 
"  I  say  again  :  The  world  can  not  produce  a  par- 
allel to  the  situation  which  such  a  man  ex- 
hibits— resigned  to  the  will  of  Heaven,  free 
from  all  the  feelings  of  earthly  desire,  and 
quietly  pursuing  the  even  tenor  of  his  way.'' 

23.  We  believe  the  history  of  the  world  does 
not  furnish  a  single  instance  of  any  other  religious 
institution  having  stood  TO  years  without  a  visible 
declension  of  its  principles  and  order,  and  in  the 
general  purity  and  integrity  of  its  members. 

24.  An  institution  with  a  united  interest  in  all 
things  has  been  a  desideratum  of  the  world  for 


KULES    AND    REGULATIONS.  63 

many  ages ;  and  although  attempts  to  establish 
such  have  been  made  in  various  ages  and  countries, 
apparently  under  favorable  circumstances  and  well- 
adapted  plans,  yet  they  have  as  often  failed ;  ^Yhile 
the  central  society  of  this  community  has  stood 
upon  the  ground  of  a  united  and  consecrated  inter- 
est, and  maintained  the  institution  of  equal  rights 
and  privileges  in  all  things,  both  spiritual  and 
temporal,  for  more  than  TO  years,  without  the  least 
appearance  of  failure  in  either  the  parent  Society, 
or  any  of  its  branches. 

25.  Well-defined  fixed  principles^  that  are  per- 
fectly understood  and  cordially  received  by  all  the 
members,  constitute  i\\e  foundation  of  the  Shaker 
government. 

26.  Growth  is  secured  and  progress  effected  by 
a  continual  influx  of  light  and  love  from  the  Foun- 
tain— God — by  means  of  Divine  revelation  through 
spirits.  The  rulers  are  but  the  executive  of  the 
principles  above  referred  to,  and  of  the  laws  de- 
duced therefrom.  Their  means,  and  the  object, 
of  government  consist  in  bringing  the  principles 
so  approved   to   bear   upon   the   consciences   and 


54  SHAKERS   AND   SHAKEEISM. 

affections  of  the  ruled.  To  this  end  the  male 
and  female  elements  are  equally  balanced  in  the 
leaders.  The  former  has  reference  to,  and 
operates  more  specifically  upon,  the  rational  fac- 
ulty in  human  nature  ;  the  latter^  to  the  o.ffec- 
tional. 

27.  The  JMinistry,  who  are  the  central  execu- 
tive of  the  whole  order,  consists  of  two  brethren 
and  two  sisters,  and  every  regularly  organized  com- 
munity or  family  in  a  society  has  two  elder  breth- 
ren and  two  elder  sisters,  who  have  the  charge  of 
the  sjpiritual  affairs  ;  also,  two  deacons  and  two 
deaconesses,  who  have  the  care  of  the  lemjoorali- 
ties.  All  other  positions  of  care  and  trust  are 
filled  after  the  same  dual  order.  Yet  each  sex 
continues  in  its  own  appropriate  sphere  of  action 
in  all  respects,  there  being  a  proper  subordination, 
deference,  and  respect  of  the  female  to  the  male,  in 
his  order^  and  of  the  male  to  the  female,  in  her 
order  j  so  that  in  any  of  these  communities  the 
zealous  advocates  of  "  Woman's  Rights"  may  here 
find  a  practical  realization  of  their  ideal, 

28.  To  the  mind  of  the  simple,  unsophisticated 


RULES   AXD   KEGULATIOXS.  55 

Shaker  it  seems  marvelously  inconsistent  for  any 
human  government  to  be  administered  for  the  sole 
benefit  of  its  own  officers  and  their  particular 
friends  and  favorites ;  or  that  more  than  one  half 
the  citizens  should  be  disfranchised  because  they 
happen  to  be  females^  and  compelled  by  the  sword 
to  obey  laws  they  never  sanctioned,  and  ofttimes  in 
which  they  have  no  faith,  and  to  submit  to  taxa- 
tion where  there  has  been  no  previous  representa- 
tion ;  while  still  millions  of  other  fellow- citizens 
are  treated  as  property^  because  they  chance  to 
possess  a  darker-colored  skin  than  their  cruel 
brethren.  And  again,  that  the  members  {brethren 
and  sisters)  of  the  same  religious  body  or  church 
should  be  divided  into  rich  and  poor  in  the  things 
of  this  temporary  world,  but  who  are  vainly  ex- 
pecting that,  in  the  world  to  come,  they  shall  be 
willing  to  have  eternal  things  in  common  ! 

29.  And  when  this  same  unjust  and  unequal  ad- 
ministration is  confirmed  and  carried  out  in  the 
most  popular  religious  organizations  of  Christen- 
dom, the  Shakers  think  the  climax  of  absurdity, 
tyranny,  and  oppression  well-nigh  attained. 


CHAPTER   IV. 

CHAEACTEEISTIC3  AlSTD  DOCTEINIES  OF  JESUS   CHEIST. 

1.  Christ  was  "  the  Author  and  Finisher  of 
the  faith"  of  Christianity ;  and  in  Jesus  Christ 
was  the  first  Christian  Church,  which  was  perfect 
and  prolific  spiritually  just  so  far  as  Adam  was 
perfect  and  prolific  naturally,  before  Eve  was 
brought  forth. 

2.  Christ  (dual)  is  a  supermundane  being,  and 
was  the  Agent  of  the  new  revelation  to  Jesus,  the 
truths  of  which  were,  first^  the  immortality  of  the 
soul,  which  Moses  never  taught ;  and,  second^  the 
resurrection  of  the  soul — these  being  two  distinct 
things  ;  the  former,  the  continuous  existence  of  the 
soul  after  mere  physical  death ;  the  latter,  the 
quickening  of  the  germ  of  a  new  and  spiritual  life 
in  the  soul,  consequent  upon,  and  succeeding  to,  the 
death  of  the  first  Adamic  or  generative  life,  which 


CHAEACTEBISTICS  AND  DOCTRIKES  OF  CHRIST.    57 

can  only  be  effected  by  the  faith  and  the  cross  of 
the  second  Adam — CKrut, 

3.  As  all  the  future  powers  and  faculties  of  the 
natural  man  are  germinal  in  the  infant,  so  the  life 
and  faculties  of  the  future  spiritual  man  are  germi- 
nal in  the  soul  of  the  natural  or  "  old"  man  ;  and 
these  are  never  quickened,  except  by  the  same 
power  that  destroys  the  life  of  the  "old  man" — 
the  desire  of  generation.  "  I  wound,  and  I  heal ; 
I  kill,  and  I  make  alive."  These  are  the  two  lives 
that  Jesus  alluded  to  when  he  said,  "  Whosoever 
will  save  his  life  shall  lose  it  /  and  whosoever  will 
lose  his  life  for  my  sake  shall  find  it,  and  keep  it 
unto  life  eternal." 

4.  The  prophet  Isaiah,  speaking  of  Jesus,  says  : 
*' His  life  was  cut  off  from  the  earthy  and  who 
shall  declare  Ms  generation .?"  Meaning  that  his 
earthly  life,  which  supports  the  work  of  generation, 
was  "  cut  off,"  as  must  be  also  the  earthly  life  of 
every  true  Christian.  And  Jesus  himself  said : 
"Therefore  doth  my  Father  love  me,  because  /Zay 
down  my  life.  No  man  taketh  it  from  me  ;  but  I 
lay  it  doxon  of  myself,'''' 


58  SHAKEES   AND   SHAKEEISM. 

5.  The  beginning  of  Christianity  was  the  end 
of  generation — of  the  world — in  Jesus.  "  Ye  are 
they  [said  the  Apostle]  upon  whom  the  ends  of 
the  world  have  cotne''^  already.  Thus  the  same 
Spirit  that  creates  souls  "  anew  in  Christ  Jesus," 
causes  them  to  "  forsake  and  to  hate  father  and 
mother,  wife  and  children,  brothers  and  sisters, 
houses  and  land,  and  their  own  [generative]  life 
also."  This  hitherto  paradoxical  and  hard  saying 
of  Jesus,  the  Shakers  simplify  upon  the  above 
premises,  affirming  that  all  these  characters  can 
be  hated  without  the  least  enmity  against  any  hu- 
man soul. 

6.  It  is  the  generative  life  in  man  and  woman 
that  induces  them  to  assume  the  character  of  Tius- 
lancl  and  ivife  /  the  same  life  impels  them  to  be- 
come father  and  mother  ;  and  hence  result  the 
children^  who  are  'brothers  and  sisters^  all  of 
whom  require,  desire,  and  (if  they  can)  acquire 
houses  and  land,  to  support  the  earth-relation 
thus  formed.  All  these  can  be  forsaken  and  hated 
without  hating  the  persons  of  the  original  man  and 
woman,  or  of  the  children. 


CHARACTEEISTICS  AND  DOCTErN"ES  OF  CHKIST.    59 

7.  It  is  the  earthly,  fleshly  relation  that  must 
be  hated  by  all  who  would  become  followers  of 
Jesus — Clirisiians — "  children  of  the  resurrec- 
tion," of  whom  Jesus  said,  "  They  neither  marry 
nor  are  given  in  marriage,  but  are  as  the  angels  of 
God  in  heaven." 

8.  All  who  "  marry  and  are  given  in  marriage," 
or  who  support  that  order,  the  Shakers  term  "  the 
children  of  this  world;"  thus,  on  this  ground, 
throwing  heathens,  Turks,  Catholics,  Protestants, 
infidels,  etc.,  all  into  one  general  class,  or  com- 
pany. They  quote  Jesus  :  "  Think  not  that  I  am 
come  to  bring  peace  on  earth  [to  the  earthly  pro- 
creative  relation]  ;  for  I  am  come  to  set  a  man  at 
variance  against  his  father,  and  the  daughter 
against  her  mother,  and  the  daughter-in-law  against 
her  mother-in-law,  and  to  make  a  man's  foes  those 
of  his  own  household." 

9.  Yet  the  Shakers  do  not  condemn  marriage  as 
an  institution  of  "  the  world,"  to  whom  only  it  be- 
longs ;  but  they  say  that  the  procreative  powers 
should  be  used  by  them  exclusively  for  offspring, 
and  that  all  beyond  that,  however  perfectly  it  n^ay 


60  shak:epw3  a^b  shakeeis:^. 

be   covered  by  the  mantle  of  human  law^  they 

call  "  the  unfruitful  works  of  darkness." 

10.  "  He  that  looks  upon  a  woman  to  lust  after 
her,  has  [in  the  sight  of  God]  committed  adultery 
■with  her"  none  the  less  because  she  is  his  legal 
wife.  God  looks  at  the  impelling  motive^  not  the 
human  legality^  of  an  action.  "  Blessed  are  [7iot 
the  legal,  but]  the  pure  in  heart,  for  they  shall  see 
God." 

11.  Those  who  will  "  crucify  the  old  man,  with 
all  his  affections  and  lusts^  shall  see  a  greater 
manifestation  of  God  than  it  is  possible  for  a 
generative  man  to  behold ;  to  prove  which,  the 
Shakers  adduce  scientific  no  less  than  scriptural 
reasons.  ''  The  natural  man  discernef/i  not  the 
things  of  the  Spirit ;  neither  can  he  know  them," 
any  more  than  fishes  can  see  and  know  the  things 
pertaining  to  land  animals,  or  than  the  chrysalis 
can  be  cognizant  of  the  fields  and  flowers  of  the 
future  butterfly. 

12.  Second.  Another  practical  principle,  in 
which  Christ  instructed  Jesus,  was  Brotherhood — 
to  love  his  neighbor  as  himself,  and  not  to  appro- 


CHARACTEKISTIC3  AND  DOCTRINES  OF  CHEIST.    61 

priate  to  his  own  selfish  use,  to  the  exclusion  of 
those  on  the  same  plane,  either  of  the  life-elements 
— earth,  air,  fire,  or  water.  Foxes  had  holes  in 
the  ground,  and  birds  nests  in  the  trees,  but  Jesus 
had  no  place  or  home  to  call  his  own. 

13.  And  except  a  man  forsook  all  that  he  had, 
he  could  not  be  a  disciple  of  Jesus.  Hence  the 
rich  young  man  went  sorrowful  away,  rather  than 
sell  and  distribute  his  great  possessions,  and  thus 
become  a  poor  man,  in  order  to  join  Jesus  and  his 
company.  This  also  explains  why  a  cable  could 
go  through  the  eye  of  a  needle  easier  than  a  rich 
man  could  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven, 
which  was  formed  within,  or  among  his  disci- 
ples. 

11.  Five  dollars  of  private,  selfish  property 
would  exclude  a  man  from  the  communion  of  a 
company  who,  as  did  Jesus  and  his  Apostles,  pos- 
sessed their  property  in  common^  as  efiectually  as 
would  five  millions ;  for  the  law  of  the  Gospel  is, 
"  Except  a  man  forsake  all  that  he  hath,  he  can 
not  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven."  In  addi- 
tion to  that,  he  must  also  follow  the  example  of 


62  SHAKERS   AND    SHAKEPJSM. 

Jesus,  in  "  taking  up  the  cross,"  and  living  a  vir- 
gin life. 

15.  The  third  principle  exemplified  in  the  life 
of  Jesus,  and  which  came  from  the  same  source  as 
the  preceding  ones,  is,  "  Resist  not  evil" — non- 
resistance.  "  If  any  man  smite  thee  on  thy  right 
cheek,  turn  to  him  the  other  also.  Love  your  ene- 
mies. Do  good  to  them  that  hate  you.  Bless 
them  that  curse  you."  ''  He  that  taketh  the 
sword  shall  perish  by  the  sword."  ^'  The  Son  of 
man  is  not  come  to  destroy  men's  lives,  but  to  save 
them."  So  that,  according  to  Shaker  doctrines, 
there  can  be  no  such  thing  as  a  Clunsticm  warrior. 
With  them  the  time  has  come  to  beat  the  sword 
into  a  plowshare,  and  the  spear  into  a  pruning- 
hook,  and  they  will  not  practise  or  learn  war  any 
more. 

16.  Fourth.  Jesus  took  no  part  in  earthly 
governments.  When  he  was  ojQfered  all  the  king- 
doms of  the  world  for  his  possession,  he  utterly 
refused  them,  and  thus  crucified  his  ambition. 
He  also  taught  his  disciples  that,  although  "  the 
princes   of    the    Gentiles   exercise   dominion   over 


CHAEACTEEISTIC3  AND  DOCTRINES  OF  CHRIST.    b6 

them,  and  they  that  are  great  exercise  authority 
upon  them,  it  shall  not  be  so  among  you ;  for  who- 
soever will  be  great  and  chief  among  you,  let  him 
be  your  minister — servant — least  of  all." 

IT.  J^ifth.  Christ  saved  Jesus  from  sin ;  and 
"A^5  name  was  called  Jesus,  because  he  should 
save  his  people  from  their  sins."  Hence  the 
Shakers  claim  a  present  salvation  from  sin  as 
essential  to  the  Christian  character.  They  say 
that  the  Law  of  Moses  (in  respect  to  salvation) 
was  "weak  through  the  flesh"  (generation),  which 
it  allowed  at  the  same  time  that  it  condemned  all 
who  practised  it. 

18.  For  it  enjoined  that  "  the  man  who  shall 
lay  with  a  woman  ....  was  unclean  ;" 
that  they  were  "both  unclean" — sinficl:  and  "the 
bed  whereon  they  lay  was  unclean,"  or  defiled ; 
and  they  were  separated  from  the  camp  of  Israel 
therefor.  Nor  could  they  be  again  admitted  until 
they  had  been  re-baptized  (washed  all  over)  with 
water. 

19.  Jesus  escaped  this  only  by  living  "'  separate 
from  sin  and  sinners ;"  that  is,  by  living  a  virgin 


64  SHAKEES   AND    SHAKEEISM. 

life.  If  he  had  married,  and  lived  in  generation, 
he  must  have  been  subject  to  the  Law  as  above 
stated,  and  paid  the  penalty  ;  for  he  "  came  not  to 
destroy  the  Law,  but  to  fulfill"  the  righteousness 
thereof. 

20.  John  the  Baptist  told  the  soldiers  to  "  do 
violence  to  no  man."  And  the  Jewish  Apostle 
said,  ^^  Marriage  is  honorable  in  all,  if  the  bed  be 
undefiled."  The  sin  was  not  in  being  a  soldier, 
but  in  doing  violence  /  nor  was  the  sin  in  the  fact 
of  marriage,  but  in  the  act  of  generation  ;  for  per- 
sons may  have  been  married  before  being  called  to 
be  Christians,  as  was  the  case  with  Peter  and 
others. 

21.  The  penal  law  was  added  because  of  trans- 
gression ;  the  typical  law,  of  baptism,  circumcision, 
etc.,  to  foreshadow  things  to  come.  The  latter  was 
abolished  by  the  substance — virgin  life  /  and  the 
former,  by  "  ceasing  to  do  evil,  and  learning  to  do 
well."  There  could  be  no  sin-oJ0fering  where  there 
was  no  sin ;  no  type,  when  the  antetype  had  come ; 
and  no  tithes,  where  there  was  no  individual 
property,  but  "  all  things  common." 


CHAPTEK   V. 

CHARACTER   OF   THE   PRIMITIVE   CHRISTIAN   CHURCH. 

1.  Jesus  Christ  foretold  U\o  things  of  great 
importance.  07ie  was,  that  the  Christian  Church, 
which  he  originated,  would  not  continue,  but  would 
be  utterly  destroyed.  He -said  that  himself  and 
his  disciples  were  "  the  light  of  the  world ;"  and 
he  counselled  souls  to  walk  in  the  light  while  they 
had  it,  because  "  the  night  cometh  wherein  no  man 
can  work.''  That  is,  there  would  come  a  time 
when  "  iniquity  would  abound,  and  the  love  of 
many  would  wax  cold,"  and  when  there  would  be 
no  true  Church  on  the  earth.  The  same  was  con- 
firmed by  his  Apostles,  who  said  there  would  be  a 
"  falling  away,"  and  that  "  that  man  of  sin  would 
be  revealed,^^  in  place  of  a  revelation  of  Christ. 

2.  The  othe?'  was,  that  another  appearing  on 


66  SHAKEES   AND   SHAKEEISM. 

earth  of  the  same  Christ  (or  second  Adam  and 
Eve)  as  had  been  manifested  to  him  (Jesus)  would 
take  place,  to  establish  a  second  and  more  perfect 
Christian  Church,  precisely  according  to  the  Pat- 
tern of  the  Christian  Church  m  himself;  for 
then  Christ  would  come,  not  in  07ie  individual  only, 
but  "  in  the  clouds  of  [the  fourth]  heaven,  with 
power  and  great  glory;"  that  is,  in  numhers  of 
persons,  or  ^'clouds  of  witnesses,"  in  and  among 
whom  Christ  would  make  his  "  second  appearing 
without  sin  unto  salvation."  "  Behold  the  Lord 
Cometh  in  ten  thousand  of  his  saints." 

3.  For  the  Shaker  idea  is,  that  in  Jesus  alone 
were  all  the  characteristics  of  a  perfect  Chris- 
tian ;  that  the  Apostles  stood  upon  a  lower  plane, 
and  were  children  of  God  by  "  adoption'^''  only, 
Qiot  really.  This  point  is  conclusively  proved 
from  the  conjoint  testimony  of  themselves  and 
Jesus. 

4.  Jesus  said  he  had  ''  many  things  to  say  unto 
them  that  they  were  not  able  to  bear,"  and  ex- 
claimed of  them,  "0  ye  of  little  faith!"  These 
expressions,    with    the   mistaken   conceptions   the 


CHAJRACTER   OF   THE   PKIMITIYE   CHUECH.        67 

Apostles  had  formed  of  the  nature  of  his  kingdom 
and  of  the  resurrection,  demonstrate  that  they  only 
"  knew  in  part,  prophesied  in  part,  and  saw  as 
through  a  glass  darkly"  and  imperfectly. 

5.  The  Apostles  were  "  only  a  land  of  first- 
fruits  ;"  not  the  kingdom  itself.  But  they  had 
the  spirit  of  promise  and  of  hope,  that  in  the  sec- 
ond appearing,  when  Christ  should  be  manifested 
in  the  order  of  Mother^  through  a  female^  as  he 
had  been  in  the  order  of  Father^  through  Jesus^ 
they  should  sit  down  with  Jesus  on  his  throne — 
rise  to  the  same  plane. 

6.  This  was  the  condition  and  expectation  of 
the  Apostolic  Church,  whose  members  were  all 
Hebrews.  For,  as  Maria  Childs  remarks,  "  Chris- 
tianity w^as  somewhat  exclusive  and  national  in  its 
character,  being  preached  only  by  Jesus,  and  ad- 
dressed only  to  Hebrews." 

T.  The  Church  professed  to  live  a  virgin  life ; 
and  those  in  it  who  ^'  waxed  wanton  asjainst 
Christ,"  and  married^  had  "  damnation,  because 
they  had  cast  off  their  first  faith"  of  celibacy, 
"  They  had  all  things  common."     The  8,000  who 


68  SHAKEES    AND    SHAKEKISM. 

were  converted  in  two  days  ''  sold  all  their  posses- 
sions" of  houses  and  land,  and  formed  a  perfect 
community.  They  did  not  call  the  least  thing 
their  '^own,^''  They  took  no  part  in  the  heathen 
governments,  either  in  being  officers  or  electing 
officers.  They  would  not  swear,  or  take  oaths. 
They  would  not  fight,  or  engage  in  war ;  and  they 
suffered  much  persecution  because  they  would  not 
enlist  in  the  armies  of  the  Roman  empire. 

8.  They  bore  a  testimony  against  sin,  saying, 
"  He  who  sinneth  hath  not  seen  Christ,  neither 
known  him."  They  had  the  gift  of  healing  the 
sick.  "  Is  any  sick  among  you'?  let  him  send  for 
the  elders  of  the  Church,"  etc.  ;  and  often  their 
shadow  or  their  clothes  imparted  a  healing  power 
to  the  invalid.  They  "  looked  for  the  second  ap- 
pearing of  Christ,  and  hasted  unto  the  coming  of 
the  day  of  the  Lord." 

9.  This  was  the  Jeivish  Christian  Church,  the 
temple  of  God,  and  was  founded  by  the  Apostles 
one  degree  below  the  Church  in  Jesus.  And  when 
Peter  preached  Christianity  to  the  Gentiles,  he 
founded  the  Gentile  Christian  Church  on  a  plane 


CHAEACTER   OF   THE   PRIMITIVE   CHURCH.        69 

still    lower   than   that   of   the   Jewish   Christian 
Church. 

10.  The  Gentile  Christian  Church  did  not  in- 
troduce war  or  slavery,  but  it  did  introduce  mar- 
riage and  private  property  ;  yet  both  these  insti- 
tutions were  under  restrictions  drawn  from  the 
Mosaic  laws,  to  which  the  Gentiles  had  never  been 
accustomed.  They  were  restricted  to  one  wife, 
and  subjected  to  self-denial  in  many  respects;  that 
was  all  they  were  able  to  bear.  But  they  were  not 
saved  from  sin ;  and  they  looked  for  the  second 
coming  of  Christ,  when,  as  the  Apostle  told  them, 
those  who  had  wives  would  be  just  the  same  as  if 
they  were  not  married  ;  and  those  who  owned  prop- 
erty, as  though  they  possessed  nothing ;  as  then 
they  would  rise  into  the  order  of  the  Church  above 
them. 

11.  The  Shaker  writers  say  that  unless  this 
distinction  between  the  Jewish  Christian  Church 
and  the  Gentile  Christian  Church  be  observed, 
the  various  writings  of  the  New  Testament  can 
not  be  understood,  as  all  the  Epistles  to  the  Gen- 
tile Christian  Churches  contain  very  different  doc- 


70  SHAKEKS   AXD    SHAXERISM. 

trines  to  those  addressed  to  the  Hebrews,  and  as 
contained  in  the  four  Gospels.  The  Gentile  Chris- 
tians were  fed  with  "  milk,  and  not  with  meat,  be- 
cause the}^  were  not  able  to  bear  it."  They  were 
written  to  "as  unto  carnal,  and  not  as  unto  spir- 
itual." 

12.  The  five  most  prominent  practical  principles 
of  the  Pentecost  Church  were,  first,  common 
property  /  second,  a  life  of  celibacy  ;  third,  non- 
resistance  /  fourth,  a  sejyarate  and  distinct  govern- 
ment;  and,  fifth,  ^JJM^^-?^  over  vhysical  disease. 


CHAPTER    VI. 

FALL    OF   THE    PRmiTn'E    CHKISTLIX   CITCECn. 

1.  When  Constantine  was  converted,  he  found- 
ed and  became  the  heathen*  head  of  the  Boman 
Catholic  Church,  which  was  formed  upon  a  very 
much  lower  plane  than  was  even  the  Gentile 
Christian  Church. 

2.  It  was  distinguished  from  that,  first^  by  the 
union  of  church  and  state,  the  Church  gradually 

■^"  Constantine,  "olio  was  a  limihen,  was  never  converted  to 
even  Eoman  Catholic  Christianity.  Mosheini  says  of  him  : 
"It  is  certain  that  he  was  not  received  by  baptism  into  the 
number  of  the  faithful  until  a  feio  days  hefore  his  death,"  and 
then  only  in  order  that  he  ' '  might  ascend  pure  and  Spotless 
to  the  mansions  of  light  and  immortality  ;"  notwithstanding 
his  having  cruelly  murdered  his  father-in-law,  his  wife,  his 
son,  his  brother-in-law,  his  nephew,  and  others,  besides  his 
numerous  other  abominations.  (Sec  ^Mosheim's  Ecclesiastical 
History,  by  Dr.  Maclaine,  American  edition,  1797,  vol.  i., 
cent,  iv.,  part  i.,  chap,  i.,  pp.  313,  314.) 


T2  SHAKEES   AND    SHAKEEISM. 

assuming  the  supreme  power  and  control  of  all 
civil  as  -well  as  ecclesiastical  matters  ;  second^  by 
the  introduction  of  war  as  a  permanent  element  of 
theolog}^,  using  the  sword  not  only  against  external 
enemies  of  the  church  and  state,  but  as  a  means 
of  conversion  to  Roman  Catholic  Christianity,  and 
also  turning  the  same  sword  against  the  internal 
enemies  of  this  mongrel  church  and  its  theology, 
by  the  establishment  of  the  inquisitimi,  based  upon 
the  absurd  idea  that  faith,  or  want  of  faith,  is  the 
result  of  the  will,  and  not  of  evidence,  or  the  ab- 
sence thereof;  by  monoj)oIy  of  the  elements  of 
existence,  particularly  of  the  earth  and  its  produce; 
by  slavery,  which  was  also  incorporated  into  the 
Church  as  a  part  of  its  theological  creeds ;  and  by 
oathd. 

3.  The  Roman  Catholic  Church  is  the  "  beast" 
that  John  saw,  which  combined  the  wild,  destruc- 
tive characteristics  of  the  bear,  the  leopard,  and 
the  lion. 

4.  And  John  was  commanded  to  ''  rise  and 
measure  the  temple  of  God  [the  Jewish  Christian 
Church]  and  them  that  worship  therein.     But  the 


FALL  OF  THE  PEEMITrTE  CHEISTLiN  CHTKCH.     T3 

coiii't^  which  is  without,  measure  it  not ;  for  it  is 
given  unto  the  Gentiles  [the  Gentile  Christian 
Church] ;  and  they  shall  tread  down  the  holy  city 
forty-and-two  months" — I526O  j-ears. 

5.  That  was  the  falling  away  and  degenerating 
of  the  Gentile  Christian  Church  into  the  Roman 
Catholic  Church;  and  the  union  of  church  and 
state,  with  the  adoption  of  war,  possessed  it  of 
physical  power,  by  which  means  it  trod  down  lib- 
erty of  conscience,  requiring  the  Jeioish  Christian 
Church  to  come  to  its  standard  of  orthodoxy,  or 
endure  physical  torture,  and  the  breaking  up  of 
their  communities,  by  the  operation  of  its  oppress- 
ive organic  laws. 

6.  John  also  "  saw  a  beast,  great  and  terrible 
[as  above  described],  rise  out  of  the  sea" — the 
spiritual  elements  of  the  Primitive  Church.  "  This 
beast  [the  Roman  Catholic  Church]  made  war 
with  the  saints,  and  overcame  them ;  and  all  the 
world  wondered  [and  wandered]  after  the  beast." 
And  he  ruled  over  all  nations,  kindreds,  tongues, 
and  people,  and  there  was  no  power  on  earth 
able  to  wage  war  with  this  beast;    therefore  it 


74:  SHAEEES    AXD   SHAKEEISM. 

is  plain   that   that  church  is    the   beast   of  the 
Apocalypse. 

7.  And  John  "  saw  another  beast  rise  out  of  the 
earth  [Rationalism  and  Materialism],  having  two 
horns  like  a  lamb,  but  spoke  with  the  mouth  of  a 
dragon."  This  was  the  "image  of  the  first  beast; 
and  it  exercised  all  the  power  of  the  first  beast," 
war,  persecution,  etc.  This  is  Protestantism^  in 
which  Lutheranism  and  Calvinism  are  the  two  prin- 
cipal powers  (or  horns),  for  they  divide  the  kingdom 
of  the  "  image  of  the  beast"  between  them. 

8.  In  no  one  important  practical  principle  of 
life  did  the  Protestant  Church  differ  from  the 
Roman  Catholic  Church.  Both  of  them  hold  to 
marriage,  private  property,  union  of  church  and 
state,  ambition,  oaths,  persecution,  war,  slavery, 
monopoly  of  the  life-elements  in  its  most  aggra- 
vated form  ;  salvation,  an  unmeaning  something  to 
be  possessed  in  some  distant,  unknown  world,  but 
gained  and  secured  in  this  by  means  of  water, 
bread,  wine,  blood,  and  belief  in  the  cruel  murder 
of  the  best  man  the  earth  ever  produced,  or  faith 
in  the  wooden  cross,  the  instrument  of  his  cruci- 


FALL  OF  THE  PRIMrnYE  CHKISTIAN  CHURCH,      i  O 

fixion.  And  both  alike  inherit  all  the  diseases  of 
the  Egyptians,  and  (as  churches)  are  utterly  desti- 
tute of  the  gift  of  healing,  as  well  as  of  all  the 
other  gifts  that  were  possessed  by  the  Primitive 
Church. 

9.  Thus  the  "  beast  which  ruled  over  all  nations, 
kindreds,  people,  and  tongues,"  and  "  the  great 
Whore  of  Babylon,  the  Mother  of  Harlots  and  of 
abominations  of  the  earth,  who  sitteth  upon  many 
waters"  (and  "  the  waters  where  the  whore  sitteth 
are  peoples,  and  multitudes,  and  nations,  and 
tongues"),  are  the  one  and  the  same  Homan 
Catholic  Church,  She  is  the  "woman,"  the 
"  great  city  that  ruleth  over  the  kings  of  the 
earth"  for  forty-and-two  months ;  and  her  endless 
brood  of  harlot  daughters,  "hateful,  and  hating 
one  another,"  are  the  divided,  warring  Protestant 
sects. 

10.  And  the  mother  and  her  daughters,  for 
want  of  a  common  enemy,  bite,  rend,  and  devour 
each  other ;  and,  in  their  jarring  creeds,  they  not 
only  "  teach  for  doctrines  the  commandments  of 
men,"   but  they  teach   even   the   "  doctrines  of 


76  SHAKEES   A^B   SHAEJilEISM. 

devils,"  as  before  enumerated;  and,  by  external 
laws,  "forbidding  to  marry" — the  counterfeit  of  a 
virgin  life ;  and  "  commanding  to  abstain  from 
meats" — the  counterfeit  of  true  temperance  in  all 
things,  the  legitimate  fruit  of  the  testimony  of 
Jesus ;  "  preaching  for  hire,  and  divining  for 
money" — a  fictitious  Gospel  that  is  not  "  without 
money  and  without  price." 

11.  Therefore  Christendom  (Babylon)  "has  be- 
come the  habitation  of  devils  [demons,  or  disorder- 
ly disembodied  spirits,  who  are  ministers  of  falsities 
and  confusion],  the  hold  of  every  foul  spirit,  and 
the  cage  of  every  hateful  and  unclean  bird."  For 
there  is  no  form  of  human  wickedness  which  can 
not  be  found  within  the  pale  of  the  theological 
organizations  of  Christendom. 

12.  That  the  Protestant  Reformation  effected  a 
revolution  for  the  better,  the  Shakers  do  not  ques- 
tion ;  nor  that  even  Roman  Catholicism  itself  is  an 
advance  upon  mere  heathenism ;  for  the  laws  of 
progress  w^ill  assert  their  supremacy  in  all  human 
affairs,  and  God  can  make  (or  overrule)  even  the 
wrath  of  man  to  praise  Him. 


FALL  OF  THE  PEEffiETIYE  CHRISTIAN  CHTJKCH.     77 

13.  Adjudged  from  the  stand-point  of  the  people 
and  age  upon  whom,  and  in  -which,  they  operated, 
both  Constantine,  Luther,  and  Calvin  were  real 
reformers ;  but  adjudged  from  the  stand-point  of 
Jesus  and  his  seven  principles  (true  Christianity), 
they  were  what  Luther,  in  his  last  will  and  testa- 
ment, subscribed  himself  as  being,  "  a  damnable 
man,"  and  as  both  Catholics  and  Protestants  say 
of  themselves,  "miserable  sinners." 


CHAPTER   VII. 


1.  Next  in  order  come  the  ''two  witnesses," 
vrlio  were  to  ''  prophesy  [and  mourn  and  repent] 
in  sackcloth  and  ashes,"  during  the  forty-two 
months'  reign  of  the  beast  and  his  image. 

2.  Although  the  "  holy  city,"  or  Jewish  Chris- 
tian Church,  was  trodden  down  by  the  Roman 
C-atholic,  or  fallen  Gentile  Christian  Church 
(antichrist),  j^et  God,  by  revelation,  raised  up  in 
every  age  of  the  apostasy  male  ^Tidi  female  wit- 
nesses, who,  reviving  the  principles  or  testimony 
of  the  Jewish  Christian  Church,  as  already  set 
forth,  testified,  or  witnessed,  against  the  beast  and 
his  image,  by  word  and  by  their  lives  of  innocence. 
They  held  no  union  with  church  or  state  ;  they 
took  no  oaths,  bore  no  arms,  held  no  slaves,  lived 
a  virgin  life,  and  "had  all  things  common." 


79 

3.  These  were  the  "  holy  people,"  whose  power 
was  continually  scattered  by  the  persecuting  arm 
of  antichrist.  They  were  known  to  their  enemies 
by  the  term  ''heretics,"  and  by  historians  as 
Marcionites,  Therapeutics,  Manicheans,  Nestorians, 
Waldenses,  Moravians,  etc.,  and,  lastly,  as  Quak- 
ers, who,  with  the  exception  of  a  virgin  life,  em- 
bodied more  of  the  principles  of  the  Primitive 
Church  than  any  other  of  the  "witnesses." 

4.  It  has  been  estimated  that  fifty  millions  of 
these  "  witnesses,"  or  "  heretics,"  have  been  tor- 
tured to  death  by  the  Inqxiisition^  and  other  in- 
strumentalities of  the  terrible  beast,  or  Roman 
Catholic  Church ;  and,  by  the  image  of  the  beast, 
a  proportionate  number. 

5.  The  full  history  of  the  rise  and  fall  of  these 
"witnesses,"  should  such  ever  be  impartially  writ- 
ten, would  prove  a  highly  interesting  record. 
Each  of  them  "began  in  the  Spirit."  They 
originated  in  a  revelation  to  some  man  or  woman, 
as  Marcion,  Manes,  Priscillian,  Fox,  Joanna  Soutli- 
cott,  Jemima  Wilkinson,  and  others.  When  they 
had  "  finished  their  testimony,  the  beast  made  war 


80  SHAXEES    AXD    SHAKEEISM. 

against  them,  and  killed  them  ;  but  they  would  not 
suffer  the  dead  lodies  to  be  put  into  graves,"  but 
left  them  lying  in  the  streets  of  his  city  of  Baby- 
lon ;  and  thus  the  "kingdom  of  the  beast  has  be- 
come full  of  names"  (they  are  numbered  by  hun- 
dreds) of  sects  -who  have  lost  their  spiritual  life, 
finished  their  testimony  against  sin,  and  have  given 
their  power  and  influence  unto  the  kingdom  of  the 
beast,  by  uniting  with,  and  building  up,  the  very 
things  they  formerly  took  up  their  cross  against. 

6.  Persecution  continued  while  their  testimony 
lasted,  and  they  grew  in  grace  and  truth.  It  was 
when  the  church  and  state  began  to  favor  and 
speak  well  of  them  that  concessions  became  mutual 
— then  it  was  that  they  were  "killed"  sjpirituaTly^ 
and  not  by  persecution. 

7.  The  QiionJcs  and  omns  are  some  of  the  "  dead 
bodies"  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church;  and  the 
Dunkers,  Waldenses,  Baptists,  Methodists,  and 
Quakers  (who  may  be  taken  as  a  type  of  all  the 
witnesses)  are  some  of  the  "  dead  bodies"  of  the 
Protestant  Church. 

8.  It  was  this  unbroken  chain  of  "  witnesses" 


81 

that  connected  the  first  and  second  Christian 
Churches.  At  the  end  of  the  1,260  years,  "  the 
Spirit  of  life  from  God"  entered  into  some  indi- 
vidual *' witnesses"  of  that  "dead  body"  called 
Quakers^  and  "  they  stood  upon  their  feet,"  or 
spiritual  understandings,  "  and  they  heard  a  voice 
from  [the  resurrection  plane  of  the  fourth]  heaven, 
saying.  Come  up  hither ;"  and  they  obeyed  it ; 
"  and  they  ascended  up  to  heaven  in  a  cloud,"  or 
body ;  and  they  have  dwelt  in  heaven  more  than  TO 
years  ;  for  the  kingdom  of  heaven  is  formed  "  with- 
in," or  among,  "  them."  They  have  the  testimony 
of  Jesus,  and  they  live  in  a  more  perfect  Christian 
order,  and  possess  a  greater  gift  of  salvation  from 
sin,  than  did  the  Jewish  Christian  Church  at 
Jerusalem. 

9.  As  John  preached  repentance  unto  Moses,  to 
prepare  souls  for  Christ's  first  appearing,  so  did 
Fox,  and  Jane  and  James  Wardley  preach  repent- 
ance unto  Christ's  first  appearing,  to  prepare  souls 
for  the  second  coming  of  Christ,  and  the  setting  up 
of  his  final  kingdom  upon  earth. 

10.  Thus,  out  of  the  last  of  the  "  witnesses," 


82  SHAKEES    AND    SHAKEEISM. 

the  Quakers,  the  "  forty-and-two  months"  having 
expired,  arose  A.7in  Lee  and  her  little  company,  to 
whom  Christ  appeared  the  second  time,  "  without 
sin  unto  salvation,"  and  made  a  new  revelation  to 
her  of  the  seven  principles,  and  of  all  the  truths 
that  had  been  revealed,  in  his  first  appearing,  to 
Jesus  ;  the  practice  of  which  constituted  him  the 
first  Christian  Church  /  and  the  same  principles 
being  reduced  to  practice  by  Ann  Lee^  constituted 
her  the  second  Christian  Church. 

11.  The  *' marriage  of  the  Lamb  had  come,  for 
his  wife  had  made  herself-  ready  [thus  showing 
that  she  was  not  hoi^n  ready  J ;  and  to  her  was 
given  to  be  arrayed  in  fine  linen,  clean  and  white  : 
the  fine  linen  was  the  righteousness  of  saints^"^ 
nothing  more. 

12.  Ann^  by  strictly  obeying  the  light  revealed 
within  her,  became  "  righteous  even  as  Jesus  was 
righteous."  She  acknowledged  Jesus  Christ  as 
her  Head  and  Lord,  and  formed  the  same  character 
as  a  spiritual  woman  that  he  formed  as  a  spirit- 
ual man. 

13.  Ann  folloioed  Jesics^  not  as  an  imitator, 


RISE    OF   THE    "  TWO    WITiyTESSES."  83 

but  through  being  baptized  with,  and  led  by,  the 
same  Christ  Spirit  that  he  was  baptized  with  and 
led  and  guided  by.  She  became  a  Mother  in  Is- 
rael, and  was  thenceforth  known  to  her  followers 
(or  children)  by  the  endearing  name  of  Mother. 
Still  it  was  the  principles  (before  explained)  that 
were  the  foundation  of  the  second  Christian 
Church,  and  not  man  or  woman,  whether  Jesus  or 
Ann.  Their  importance  is  derived  from  the  fact 
of  their  being  the  first  man  and  the  first  woman 
perfectly  identified  with  the  principles  and  Spirit 
of  Christ. 

14.  A  part  of  the  curse  pronounced  upon  wo- 
man was,  that  man  should  rule  over  lier^  which 
has  been  fully  accomplished ;  for,  from  the  fall  to 
the  present  time,  all  human  governments  have 
claimed  it  to  be  the  sole  right  of  the  man  to 
"  rule,"  whether  in  religious  or  political  organ- 
izations, and  Christian  churches  and  governments 
(so  called)  have  been  no  real  exception  to  this 
rule. 

15.  As  Christ's  first  appearing  was  only  to  and 
in  the  male  part  of  humanity,  the  Jewish  as  well 


84:  SHAKEES    AND    SHAE:EEISM. 

as  the  Gentile  Christian  Churches  were  governed 
almost  entirely  by  men.  The  Roman  Catholic  and 
Protestant  world  know  only  onale  rulers ;  woman 
is  ignored.  The  Quakers,  the  last  of  the  "wit- 
nesses," began  to  include  the  female  element  in 
their  system ;  but  not  until  Christ  had  made  his 
second  appearance  in  and  to  the  feonale^  was 
woman  ever  allowed  a  full  and  equal  share  in  any 
civil  or  religious  government,  or  established  in  the 
possession  of  her  just  and  equal  rights.* 

16.  Naturalists  state  that  the  larvae  of  the  com- 
mon working  bee,  by  simply  feeding  it  upon  supe- 
rior food,  can  be  progressed  to  a  queen  hee.  This, 
if  true,  proves  that  every  such  bee  possesses  the 
undeveloped  germ  of  a  queen  bee,  and  is  a  beauti- 
ful figure  of  the  spiritual  life  that  is  hid  with 
every  natural  man  and  woman,  "  hid  with  Christ 
in  God,"  waiting  the  second  advent  of  Christ,  to 

*-'  The  fact  that  females  sometimes  reign  over  nations  as 
qneens,  is  only  an  apparent  exception  to  the  ahove  rule  and 
practice,  it  being  so  only  in  case  of  default  of  male  issue  ;  for 
they  do  not  reign  as  women,  and  over  females  only,  but  as  men, 
instead  of  men,  and  over  men,  which,  as  loomen,  is  not  their 
rigid. 


feed  and  quicken  it  into  being,  on  a  plane  above 
that  of  the  earthly  animal  order  of  generative 
reproduction. 

IT.  This  is  the  true  resurrection  state  in  which 
Jesus  stood  when  he  said,  "  I  am  the  resurrec- 
tion." To  this  state  Paul  desired  to  arrive  when 
he  said,  "  I  follow  after,  if  that  by  any  means  I 
may  attain  to  the  resurrection  from  the  dead." 
This  could  not  mean  the  re- animation  of  the  physi- 
cal body,  as  that  (if  true)  would  be  as  independent 
of  the  will  as  was  its  physical  birth  or  death.  A 
physical  resurrection,  the  Shakers  hold  to  be  utter- 
ly repugnant  to  both  science,  reason,  and  Scrip- 
ture. 


CHAPTEK   VIII 

E    CHUKCH    C 
APPEAEIXG. 

1.  In  the  fourteenth  chapter  of  the  book  of  the 
Revelation,  the  second  appearing  of  Christ  is  de- 
scribed as  already  past.  The  hundred  and  forty- 
four  thousand  mentioned  are  not  a  particular  num- 
ber ;  it  is  a  Hebraism,  denoting  a  perfect  character 
by  numbers,  as  12x12,  a  perfect  square:  they 
are  virgins  j  they  are  redeemed  from  the  earth, 
from  among  men  ;  they  "  follow  the  Lamb  [Jesus] 
whithersoever  he  goeth ;"  they  are  without  fault 
or  sin,  and  they  have  the  everlasting  Gospel  to 
preach  to  them  that  dwell  upon  the  earth. 

2.  An  angel  proclaims  the  fall  of  Babylon,  as 
the  effect  of  the  preaching  of  the  Gospel.  Another 
angel  denounces  a  woe  upon  those  who  have  the 
"  onarh  of  the  teasP^ — the  seal  of  authority  placed 


THE  CHUKCH  OF  CHEISt's  SECOND  APPEARING.    87 

Upon  the  organ  of  causality  preventing  the  action 
of  the  reasoning  faculties. 

3.  There  is  the  ''white  cloucV^  —  a  sinless, 
innocent  company — upon  which  ''one  sat  liJce  unto 
the  Son  of  man;''''  for  as  Eve  was  like  unto 
Adam — "  bone  of  his  bone,  and  flesh  of  his  flesh" 
— so  was  Mother  Ann  like  unto  Jesus — of  the 
human  race,  of  the  same  origin,  life,  character, 
and  principles. 

4.  The  "  shav])  sickle^^''  with  which  another 
angel  "  reaped  the  ripe  harvest  of  the  earth,"  is  the 
testimony  of  Jesus — the  everlasting  Gospel — which 
cuts  souls  off  from  the  field  of  generation^  and 
thus  (in  them)  brings  the  world  to  an  end. 

5.  The  angel  alluded  to  in  the  eighteenth  chap- 
ter, who  "  came  down  from  heaven,  having  great 
power,  and  the  earth  was  lightened  with  his  glory," 
and  who  proclaimed  the  fall  of  Babylon,  is  Sjnrit- 
ualism.  The  ^physical  manifestations  exhibit  the 
power  of  the  invisible  over  the  visible  world,  the 
light  of  which  is  to  enlighten  the  earth — material- 
ists— by  leading  them  to  a  knowledge  of  the  im- 
mortality of  the  soul,  of  the  existence  of  a  spirit- 


88  SHAKEPwS   AST)    SHAKEEISM. 

world,  of  the  fact  of  the  intercommunication  be- 
tween the  two  worlds,  and  of  the  rights  of  man. 

6.  Spiritualism  can  minister  physical  power  and 
spiritual  light,  but  7iot  a  knowledge  of  the  way  of 
salvation  from  sin.  It  can  confound  earthly  and 
religious  materialists,  and  reveal  the  false  doctrines 
of  antichrist,  of  which  itself  is  an  integral  part, 
and  thus  accelerate  her  fall ;  but  it  is  not  able  to 
re-arrange  society. 

T.  The  Spirit  is  indeed  being  "  poured  out  upon 
all  flesh,"  without  distinction  of  age,  sex,  party, 
or  even  moral  condition.  But  it  comes  to  pass 
that  only  such  as  ''  call  upon  the  name  of  the  Lord 
shall  be  saved."  For  in  Jerusalem,  and  in  Mount 
Zion  alone,  is  deliverance  from  \kiQ  jpower  of  sin, 

8.  And  the  one  sitting  upon  the  "  white  cloud," 
from  whose  face  the  heavens  and  the  earth — the 
old  religious  and  civil  systems  of  Babylon — "fled 
away,"  and  who  is  "  like  Jesus,"  she  possesses 
that  power,  and  utters  a  voice  to  those  in  falling 
Babylon:  "  Come  out  of  her,  my  people,  that  j^e 
be  not  partakers  of  her  sins,  and  that  ye  receive 
not  of  her  plagues." 


THE  CHTKOH  OF  CHEISt's  SECOXD  APPEAEING.    89 

9.  And  those  who  hear  the  voice  of  "  the  Spirit" 
(Christ  Jesus)  and  of  "  the  Bride"  (Mother  Ann) 
form  the  "  new  heaven  and  the  new  earth,  wherein 
dwells  righteousness."  And  they  build  the  taber- 
nacle of  God,  which  is  with  men ;  "  and  God  Him- 
self shall  dwell  with  them,  and  shall  be  their  God, 
and  they  shall  be  his  people."  All  this  the  Shak- 
ers believe,  and  hold  is  fulfilled,  or  being  fulfilled, 
in  their  order — its  faith,  principles,  and  commu- 
nities. 

10.  "  For  now  has  come  salvation  and  strength, 
the  kingdom  of  our  God,  and  the  power  of  his 
Christ."  For  the  tyrant,  lust^  "  the  accuser  of 
the  brethren"  in  all  the  three  preceding  Dispensa- 
tions, is  now  cast  out ;  "  and  the  ransomed  of  the 
Lord  have  come  to  Zion,  with  singing,  and  with 
everlasting  joy  upon  their  heads." 


CHAPTER   IX. 

MODE   OF   WOKSHIP. 

1.  It  is  pretty  generally  known  that  the  Shakers 
serve  God  by  singing  and  dancing ;  but  why  they 
practise  this  mode  of  worship  is  not  so  generally 
understood. 

2.  It  should  be  recollected  that  "  God  is  a 
Spirit,"  and  can  be  worshiped  only  "  in  spirit  and 
in  truth."  Without  the  presence  of  the  Spirit 
there  can  be  no  true  worship.  Conviction  of  sin, 
godly  sorrow,  and  repentance,  are  the  first  effects 
of  the  Spirit  of  God  upon  the  conscience  of  a  sin- 
ner. And  when  sin  is  fully  removed,  by  confess- 
ing and  forsaking  it,  the  cause,  of  heaviness,  gloom, 
and  sorrow  is  gone;  and  joy  and  rejoicing,  and 
thanksgiving  and  praise,  are  then  the  spontaneous 
effects  of  a  true  spirit  of  devotion.     And  whatever 


MODE    OF   WORSHIP.  91 

manner  the  Spirit  may  dictate,  or  whatever  the 
form  into  "which  the  Spirit  may  lead,  it  is  accept- 
able to  Him  from  whom  the  Spirit  proceeds. 

3.  All  the  sahhaths  among  the  Jews,  as  here- 
after set  forth,  were  joyous  festivals — times  for 
men  to  do  good  to  each  other,  by  feeding  the 
hungry,  clothing  the  naked,  etc. ;  for  all  to  make 
each  other  happy,  and  thus  rejoice  before  the  Lord, 
^^  with  music  and  dancing." 

4.  Dancing  was  a  national  custom  among  the 
Hebrews  upon  all  extraordinary  occasions  of  some 
great  good,  as  a  victory,  etc.  They  expressed 
their  satisfaction  and  happiness  by  dancing^  as 
the  Americans  do  by  the  abnegation  of  temperance, 
and  the  explosion  of  gunpowder. 

5.  When  Israel  had  escaped  the  Egyptians, 
"  all  the  w^omen  went  after  Miriam  with  timbrels, 
and  with  dances."  The  virgins  of  Israel  held  a 
yearly  feast  at  Shiloh,  with  dances.  When  David 
killed  Goliah  there  was  dancing.  "  And  David 
danced  with  all  his  might  before  the  ark  of  the 
Lord." 

6.  Dancing  is  often   mentioned    by  the   seers. 


92  SHAKEES    AND    SHAKFEISM. 

prophets,  and  prophetesses.  "  Thou  hast  turned 
my  mourning  into  dancing."  "Praise  his  name  in 
the  dance."  "Praise  him  Tvith  the  timbrel  and 
dance."  When  the  prophets  spoke- of  the  Millen- 
nial period  and  Church,  it  Tras  with  expressions 
such  as,  "  Then  shall  the  mrgin  rejoice  in  the 
dance,  both  old  men  and  young  together."  "  0 
virgin  of  Israel,  thou  shalt  go  forth  in  the  dances 
of  them  that  make  merry."  And  Jesus,  in  speak- 
ing of  the  return  of  the  prodigal  son,  included 
music  and  dancing  as  a  part  of  the  proceedings 
and  rejoicing. 

7.  But  so  plain  and  simple  a  subject  does  not 
require  much  extension  or  amplification.  Suffice 
it  to  say,  that  the  Shakers  believe  the  great  ''sab- 
latical  year^  of  the  world  has  come,  wherein  the 
long  captive  sinner  is  released  ;  "  the  poor  have 
the  Gospel  preached  to  them,  without  money  and 
without  price ;"  perpetual  and  universal  brother- 
hood is  established  and  proclaimed,  each  one  (as 
Jesus  said)  going  back  to  his  inheritance  in  the 
earth :  "  Blessed  are  the  meek,  for  they  shall 
inherit  the  earth,"  and  all  things  else^  in  com- 


MODS  OF  woEsmp.  93 

711011^  as  an  everlasting  Jubilee  of  jubilees,  where 
the  rich  and  the  poor,  the  high  and  the  low,  the 
bond  and  the  free,  male  and  female,  all  become 
one  in  Christ  Jesus ;  and  love  is  the  bond  of  their 
union. 


CHAPTER   X. 

;     CHTJECH    01 
APPEAEIXa. 

PAET  I. 

MOSAIC   SABBATHS,    AXD   HIGHER   AND   LOWER   LAW. 

1.  As  a  common  schoolmaster  teaches  the  rudi- 
ments which  form  the  basis  of  the  knowledge  to 
be  acquired  in  the  higher  seminaries  of  learning, 
so  was  Moses  to  Christ. 

2.  Moses,  as  did  all  the  other  Prophets,  an- 
nounced the  higher  law  of  abstract  principle^  but 
administered  the  lower  law  of  exjyediency ,  In  the 
wilderness^  the  law  of  Brotherhood — love  thj 
neighbor  as  thyself — was  declared  and  enforced. 
Their  property  and  food  (manna)  was  "m  C6>m- 
mc>^i"  for  forty  years. 


DOOTEmES    OF   TKE    CIIUECH.  95 

3.  In  Canaan,  "  the  land  is  miney  saith  the 
Lord;  ye  are  stewards."  Six  days  the  people 
might  buy  and  sell,  and  trade  and  traffic,  and  see 
who  should  get  and  keep  the  most.  The  seventh 
day  was  the  Lord's,  a  sabbath  to  be  kept  by  each 
one  "  loving  his  neighbor  as  himself  ^^"^  the  rich 
feeding  and  ministering  to  the  wants  of  the  poor — 
all  rejoicing  together  before  the  Lord,  and  each 
other  as  brethren. 

4.  Six  months  also  they  had  for  me  and  mine. 
The  seventh  was  a  holy  convocation,  during  which 
the  higher  law — the  law  of  love — was  the  supreme 
law  of  the  land.  Again,  six  years  were  allotted 
for  selfhood  to  develop  itself,  the  legitimate  fruit 
whereof  brought  forth  debtor  and  creditor,  and 
master  and  slave ;  and  these  relations  were  sus- 
tained and 'consummated.  But  the  seventh  year 
was  the  sabbatical  year ;  and  when  the  trumpet  of 
this  jubilee  sounded,  all  debts  were  cancelled,  and 
all  slaves  were  restored  to  freedom.  Equality  of 
person  was  established,  and  the  Lord  reigned  tri- 
umphant for  one  whole  year. 

5.  All  the  spontaneous  produce  of  the  land  was 


96  shak:ees  and  shakeeism. 

free  food  for -the  Lord's  people — the  -wheat,  the 
grapes,  the  figs,  etc.,  were  gathered  and  eaten 
where  they  grew,  by  the  poor  and  the  fatherless, 
the  widow  and  the  orphan,  the  Levite  and  the 
stranger  ;  and  even  the  beasts  of  the  field  were  not 
forgotten — they  rested  from  their  labors,  and 
roamed  the  fields  in  peace. 

6.  The  fiftieth  year  was  the  Sabbath  of  sab- 
baths, and  there  were  concentrated  in  it  all  the 
equalizing  elements  and  fraternal  relations  of  the 
three  preceding  sabbaths ;  and,  to  crown  the  whole, 
the  land  itself,  the  foundation  of  all  selfish  pro- 
perty, was  restored  to  its  original  and  rightful 
owners.  Thus  the  last  grasp  of  the  monopolizer 
and  selfish  speculator  on  the  means  of  subsistence 
was  loosened,  and  his  selfish,  unrighteous  accumu- 
lations were  divided  and  scattered ;  society  became 
again  resolved  into  its  original  elements,  as  in  the 
wilderness,  and  a  condition  of  universal  'brother- 
hood was  established. 

T.  These  four  orders  of  sabbaths  corresponded 
to  the  four  Dispensations,  or  cycles.  The  last  of 
them,  the  great  Jubilee  of  jubilees,  typified,  in  a 


DOCTEINES   OF   THE    CHrKCH.  97 

very  perfect  manner,  the  soMath  of  the  woiid^ 
the  fourth  and  last  Dispensation,  or  cycle,  wherein, 
"^elf  being  destroyed,  property  is  "  common  ;"  lust 
being  crucified,  a  virgin  life  remains  ;  the  lion, 
war,  being  overcome  by  the  lamb  of  _^;>c^«C(2  and 
non-resistance,  gentleness  and  tranquillity  prevail ; 
and,  finally,  the  principle  of  hate  being  supplanted 
by  love  to  God  and  man,  we  have  the  na?i-counter- 
feited  seal  of  the  second  Christian  Church. 

8.  In  Jesus  (as  a  perfect  Jew)  the  promise  of 
God  through  Moses,  that  he  would  "  take  all  sick- 
ness away  from  the  midst  of  thee,"  was  fulfilled. 
This  was  the  ultimate  of  the  Mosaic  Dispensation 
— to  save  the  body  from  sickness,  and  "all  the 
diseases  of  the  Egyptians,"  or  Gentiles,  as  per- 
fectly as  the  Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  will  save  the 
soul  from  all  sin  and  spiritual  infirmity. 

9.  Jesus  was  free  from  bodily  disease  ;  "  and  he 
went  about  doing  good,"  by  healing  those  Jews 
who  were  sick,  lame,  blind,  or  who  had  leprosy,  or 
were  possessed  of  demons.  And  when  multitudes 
of  invalids  were  brought  to  him,  "  he  healed  them 
all."     This  power  he  transmitted  to  his  disciples, 


98  SHAEEE3    AXD    SHAKEEISil. 

and  established  it  as  one  of  the  signs  of  a  Chris- 
tian, and  of  a  Christian  Church,  saying,  "  These 
signs  shall  follow  them  that  believe  :  they  shall  lay 
hands  on  the  sick,  and  they  shall  be  healed,"  etc. 


PAET  n. 

PEOBATIOX,    AXD   HEATER'S   AXD   HELLS. 

10.  The  four  successive  cycles  into  which  the 
Shakers  divide  the  religious  history  of  mankind  are 
not  confined  to  this  earth,  but  extend  into,  and  are 
operative  in,  the  spirit-world,  where  also  a  state 
of  probation  still  continues,  as  upon  this  earth. 
Every  human  being  that  has  ever  existed  upon  this 
globe  is  within  one  or  other  of  these  cycles. 

11.  Each  cycle  has  its  appropriate  heaven  and 
hell — first,  second,  third,  and  fourth.  No  soul 
will  be  finally  lost  until  it  has  rejected  the  greatest 
spiritual  light  of  the  fourth  cycle. 

12.  The  wicked  antediluvians,  who  rejected  the 
preaching  of  Noah,  went  to  the  first  hell  ^  the 
good  went  to  the  first  heaven.     The  wicked  Jews 


DOCTECsES    OF   THE   CHTKCH.  99 

go  to  the  second  hell,  which  Jews  call  gelienna  j 
the  righteous  Jews,  such  as  Abraham,  Daniel, 
David,  and  others,  went  to  the  second  heaven, 
which  is  called  ParadAse, 

13.  Paul  was  '' caught  up  to  the  tJiird  heaven,'^^ 
that  is,  to  the  heaven  of  the  cycle  in  which  he 
lived,  namely,  the  third,  or  first  Christian  Church. 
Jesus  said,  "  No  man  hath  ascended  up  to  [the 
thirdj  heaven  but  the  Son  of  man,  who  is  [already] 
in  heaven."  Even  ''  David  had  not  ascended  into 
[the  third]  heaven." 

14.  Of  the  righteous  within  the  second  cycle,  it 
is  said,  "  These  all  died  in  faith,  not  having  re- 
ceived the  jpromises,  God  having  provided  some 
better  thing  for  us,  that  they  without  us  should 
not  be  made  perfect."  That  is,  the  Jews  out  of 
the  body,  who  had  died  hundreds  of  years  before, 
Avould  have  the  same  Gospel  of  the  kingdom 
preached  to  them  that  was  preached  to  the  inhabit- 
ants of  Jerusalem  who  were  then  in  the  body. 

15.  Jesus  himself  did  not  ascend  into  the  fourth 
heaven  till  after  his  departure  from  earth.  He 
said  to  Mary,  "  Touch  me  not,  for  I  am  not  yet 


100  SHAKEES    AlsD    SHAKERISM. 

ascended,"  etc. ;  and  again,  it  is  said,  "  Jesus  was 
not  yet  glorified." 

16.  Heaven  or  hell  is  first  formed  within  every 
individual  soul;  then  the  law  of  afiinity  draws 
together,  in  the  spirit-world,  those  whose  states 
are  homogeneous,  and  who  internally  are  in  the 
same  heaven  or  hell,  who  happify  or  torment  each 
other,  as  the  case  may  be. 

IT.  When  Jesus  had  finished  his  work  on  earth 
— that  is,  organized  a  Church,  and  commissioned 
it  to  preach  the  Gospel  to-every  creature  in  all 
nations — he  "gave  up  the  ghost,"  and  "descended 
into  hell" — the  fii'st  hell — and  preached  the  Gos- 
pel unto  them  who  for  many  ages  had  been  bound 
with  chains  of  mental  and  spiritual  darkness,  and 
who  were  held  by  the  cords  of  their  own  wicked 
and  unbridled  lusts,  without  either  the  knowledge, 
the  will,  or  the  power  to  break  them ;  and  he 
organized  a  Church,  and  commissioned  those  in  it 
to  freely  give,  as  they  had  freely  received. 

18.  "  For  this  cause,"  said  Peter,  "  was  the 
Gospel  preached  to  them  that  were  dead,  that  they 
might  be  judged  according  to  men  in  the  flesh,  but 


DOCTRINES    OF   THE    ClIUECH.  101 

live  according  to  God,  in  the  spirit."  But,  on  liis 
descent  to  this  antediluvian  hell,  he  must  have 
passed  through  Paradise,  the  second  heaven;  for 
he  said  to  the  thief,  "  This  day  shalt  thou  be  with 
me  in  Paradise." 

19.  When  Jesus  had  laid  the  foundation  for  a 
Church  among  them,  he  ascended  to  his  own 
proper  sphere,  or  heaven.  He  informed  his  dis- 
ciples that  in  his  Father's  house  there  were  many 
man^jions  (or  heavens)  for  them ;  that  where  he 
was,  there  they  also  might  be. 

20.  In  the  Scriptures,  mention  is  made  of 
"  heavens,"  and  "  heaven  of  heavens ;"  of  the 
*^  new  heavens  ;"  and  of  the  "  old  heavens  passing 
away  with  a  great  noise  ;"  of  the  "  former  heavens 
not  being  remembered,  nor  coming  into  mind  any 
more ;"  and  of  "  the  powers  of  the  heavens  being 
shaken."  These  and  kindred  passages  possess  no 
meaning,  except  upon  the  principle  that  each  cycle 
or  Dispensation  has  its  own  heaven  and  hell,  as 
before  stated. 

21.  The  heaven  of  the  fourth  and  last  Dispen- 
sation and  Church  is  now  in  process  of  formation, 


102         SHAKEES  AND  SHAKERISM. 

and  will  finally  supersede  the  three  previous  heav- 
ens ;  for  the  principles,  the  ruling  authority,  and 
the  governing  "  powers  of  these  heavens,"  and  the 
heavens  themselves,  will  be  "  shaken,"  and  ''  will 
pass  away." 

22.  "  The  kingdom  of  heaven"  of  the  fourth 
cycle  is  a  state  of  purgation  and  final  separation 
between  the  good  and  the  evil,  the  true  and  the 
false.  Souls  in  this  kingdom  are  only  "  begotten 
of  God,"  and  they  need  to  watch  themselves,  that 
they  do  not  commit  sin,  and  so  fail  of  coming  to 
the  new  birth. 

23.  But  when  souls  are  "  born  of  God,"  they 
can  not  sin,  for  they  have  resisted  temptation  until 
their  evil  propensities  and  lusts  are  all  destroyed, 
and  the  life  of  nature  of  the  generative  natural 
man  is  dead  in  them ;  as  Jesus  said  of  himself, 
before  he  left  the  body,  "  The  prince  of  this 
world  Cometh,  but  hath  nothing  in  me."  He  was 
born  again. 

24.  This  is  a  state  that  no  other  person  could 
ever  attain  to,  until  Christ  had  made  his  second 
appearing,  and  the  Mother  Spirit  was  revealed  ; 


DOCTRINES    OF   THE    CHUECH.  103 

for  the  man  is  not  without  the  woman,  nor  the 
woman  without  the  man,  in  the  Lord,  any  more 
than  in  nature.  And  but  few,  while  in  the  body, 
attain  to  the  new  hirthj  which  is  the  end  of  the 
travail  of  the  regeneration,  the  same  as  the  birth 
of  a  natural  infant  is  the  end  of  the  travail  in 
generation.  And  as  the  mother  is  the  bearing 
spirit  with  natural  children,  until  they  come  to 
the  natural  birth,  and  begin  to  see  and  learn  the 
things  of  the  natural  world,  so  also  is  the  spiritual 
mother  the  bearing  spirit,  until  the  "  new  birth  ;" 
after  which  the  spiritual  child  begins  to  learn  the 
pure  things  of  God  on  the  highest  and  most  spiritual 
plane.     Then  it  is  in  the  "  heaven  of  heavens." 


PAET  III. 

GOD  DUAL — FATHER  AOT)  MOTHER. 

25.  An  all-important,  sublime,  and  foundational 
doctrine  of  the  Shakers  is  the  Existence  of  an 
Eternal  Father  and  an  Eternal  Mother  in  Deity — 
the  Heavenly  Parents  of  all  angelical  and  human 


104:  SHAEEES    AND    SHAKERISM. 

beings.  They  claim  that  the  knowledge  of  God 
has  been  j^rogi^esswe^  from  age  to  age,  and  from 
Dispensation  to  Dispensation. 

26.  In  the  first  cycle,  when  spirituality  in  man 
was  ''  as  the  waters  to  the  ankles,"  God  was 
known  only  as  a  great  Spirit.  In  the  second 
cycle,  when  spirituality  was  '^  as  the  waters  to  the 
knees,"  men  began  to  inquire  wlio  and  what  God 
Ayas,  and  received  for  answer,  "  I  am  that  I  am." 
You  are  not  prepared  to  comprehend  me  further. 

2T.  In  the  third  cycle,  when  spirituality  in  the 
soul  was  "  as  the  waters  to  the  loins,"  God,  for 
the  first  time,  was  revealed  to  man  as  Father, 

28.  And  in  the  fourth  cycle,  when  spirituality 
is  becoming  as  a  deep  and  broad  expanse  of 
waters,  "that  can  not  be  measured"  (see  Ezek. 
xlvii.),  God  is  also  revealed  in  the  character  of 
Mother — an  Eternal  Mother — the  bearing  Spirit 
of  all  the  creation  of  God,  to  whom  the  Shakers 
think  reference  is  made  in  the  Scriptures,  particu- 
larly in  the  following  extracts  from  the  book  Of 
"Proverbs,"  under  the  appellation  of  Wisdom: 

29.  "  The  Lord  possessed  me  in  the  beginning 


DOCTKINES    OF    THE    CHUP.CH.  105 

of  his  way,  before  his  works  of  old.  I  was  set  up 
from  everlasting,  from  the  beginning,  or  ever  the 
earth  was.  When  there  were  no  depths  I  was 
brought  forth :  when  there  were  no  fountains 
abounding  with  water.  Before  the  mountains  were 
settled,  before  the  hills  was  I  brought  forth : 
while  as  yet  He  had  not  made  the  earth,  nor  the 
fields,  nor  the  highest  part  of  the  dust  of  the 
world. 

30.  "  When  He  prepared  the  heavens,  I  was 
there :  when  He  set  a  compass  upon  the  face  of 
the  depth  :  when  He  established  the  clouds  above  : 
when  He  strengthened  the  fountains  of  the  deep : 
when  He  gave  to  the  sea  his  decree,  that  the 
waters  should  not  pass  his  commandment :  when 
He  appointed  the  foundations  of  the  earth :  then  I 
was  by  Him,  as  One  brought  up  with  Him ;  and 
I  was  daily  his  delight,  rejoicing  always  before 
Him.^' 

31.  As  Father^  God  is  the  infinite  Fountain  of 
intelligence,  and  the  Source  of  all  power — "  the 
Almighty,  great  and  terrible  in  majesty;"  "the 
high  and  lofty  One,  that  inhabiteth  eternity,  whose 


106  SHAKEES   AKD   SHAKEEISM. 

name  is    Holy,    dwelling   in    the    high    and   holy 
place  5"  and  "  a  consuming  fire." 

32.  But,  as  Mother  J  '^  God  is  love'''  and  tender- 
ness !  If  all  the  maternol  affections  of  all  the 
female  or  bearing  spirits  in  animated  nature  were 
combined  together,  and  then  concentred  in  one 
individual  human  female^  that  person  would  be 
but  as  a  type  or  image  of  our  Eternal  Heavenly 
Mother. 

33.  The  duality  of  God  is  expressed  in  the 
book  of  '^Genesis"  as  follows:  "Let  us  make 
man  in  our  image,  after  our  likeness.  So  God 
created  man  in  his  own  image ;  male  and  female 
created  He  them;  and  called  their  name  Adam." 

34.  From  which,  the  Shakers  insist,  that  it  is 
the  male  and  female  in  man  that  is  peculiarly  the 
"  image  of  Gody  In  this  conclusion  they  further 
strengthen  themselves  from  the  Apostle  Paul,  who 
affirms  that  the  order  of  the  "  Godhead,"  and  the 
"  eternal  creative  power  of  God,"  which  would 
otherwise  be  invisible  to  man,  are  "  clearly 
seen,  by,"  through,  and  in,  ''the  things  that  are 
made." 


DOCTRINES    OF   THE    CHT7KCH.  107 

35.  Consequently,  if  this  be  admitted,  it  fol- 
lows, from  the  undeniable  fact  that  all  the  things 
which  God  has  "made"  are  dual ;  beginning  with 
the  mineral  kingdom,  which,  from  the  "  old  red 
sandstone"  to  the  very  latest  geological  formation, 
exhibit  the  action  of  two  forces^  the  positive  and 
negative,  which  forms,  in  the  vegetable  kingdom, 
gradually  resolve  themselves  into  male  and  female 
types,  from  the  fern  to  the  polypus ;  and,  in  the 
animal  kingdom,  they  are  progressively  developed 
from  the  polypus  up  to  the  simia  tribes ;  and  ulti- 
mately they  culminate  in  inan  and  icoman^  the 
image  of  God  their  Creator. 

3G.  It  seems  scarcely  possible  to  resist  this  evi- 
dence of  a  dual  order ^  so  "  clearly  seen"  through- 
out all  the  domains  of  nature  ;  or  to  admit  it, 
without  proving  that  God  also  is  dual.  Father 
and  Mother,  the  image  and  likeness  of  man,  whom 
He  has  made  male  and  female, 

37.  "  No  carnal  man  hath  seen  God  at  any 
time,"  or  witnessed  an  act  of  arbitrary,  sovereign, 
creative  power.  The  ''  eternal  [creative]  power" 
of  God  is  only  known  to  man  through  the  per- 


lOS  SHAKEES    A2sl>    SHAKEPJSM. 

petual  operation  of  the  originating  and  reproducing 
powers  of  male  and  female  principles. 

38.  Ttie  Shakers,  believe  that  the  distinction  of 
sex  is  eternal ;  that  it  inheres  in  the  soul  itself ; 
and  that  no  angels  or  spirits  exist  who  are  not  male 
and  female. 

39.  From  the  fact  that  Adam  (and  Eve)  "  was 
the  figure  of  him  that  was  to  come,"  they  argue 
that  the  "second  Adam,  the  Lord  from  heaven,  a 
quickening  Spirit,"  was  also  dual,  male  and  fe- 
male ;  and  that  they  were  the  spiritual  Father  and 
Mother  of  Jesus,  begetting,  watching  over,  and 
bearing  him  in  the  regeneration,  towards  the  new 
hirth,  into  their  own  quickening  spiritual  element. 

40.  Every  thing  is  begotten,  travails,  and  is 
born  into  the  elements  of  its  parents.  "  That 
which  is  [begotten  and]  born  of  the  flesh,  is  flesh ; 
and  that  which  is  [begotten  and]  born  of  the 
Spirit,  is  spirit." 

41.  Jesus,  being  a  male,  could  only  reveal  and 
manifest  the  Father  in  Christ  and  God.  But 
when  the  second  Adam  appeared  to  Ann,  and  be- 
came her  spiritual  Parents,  she,  being  a  female, 


DOCTKDsES    OF   THE    CIIUECH.  109 

revealed   and   manifested   the  2fother   Spirit  in 
Christ  and  in  Deity. 

42.  The  affectional  nature  in  man  seeks  its 
Source  and  Parent — the  Maternal  Spirit  in  Deity. 
Ignorance,  or  a  perverted  theology,  may  divert  it 
into  wrong  channels,  as  in  the  worshipers  of  female 
gods  in  the  heathen  nations,  which  are  known  to 
be  more  numerous  than  all  others ;  or  the  Roman 
Catholic  adoration  of  the  Virgin  j\Iary  — '''  the 
Mother  of  God."  But  nothing  can  destroy  the 
intuitive  reverence  of  the  human  soul  for  a  Heav- 
enly 2fotJier.  It  is  as  innate  and  universal  as  is 
the  belief  in  Deity. 

43.  From  what  has  been  said  in  the  preceding 
pages,  it  will  be  readily  inferred  that  the  Shakers 
do  not  believe  that  God  ever  has  appeared,  or  does 
now  appear,  to  human  beings,  except  through  spir- 
itual agencies.  These  have  often  personated  Deity, 
and  men  have  mistaken  them  for  the  Supreme 
Being;  as  in  the  case  of  John,  who  fell  down  to 
worship  a  being  who  proved  to  be  one  of  his  own 
brethren,  the  prophets ;  of  ^lanoah  and  his  wife, 
who  thought  they  should  die  because  they  had  seen 


110  SHAKEES    AND    SHAKEEISM. 

an  angel,  \Yliom  tliey  mistook  for  God ;  and  of 
Moses,  who  called  the  angel  that  appeared  to  him, 
and  ministered  the  Law  on  Mount  Sinai,  God. 
Whereas  the  Apostle  said,  "  The  Law  was  or- 
dained [ministered]  by  angels,  in  the  hand  of  a 
mediator,"  Moses.  And  John  declared  that  ''  no 
man  had  seen  God  at  any  time." 

44.  Christ  was  the  highest  and  most  purely 
spiritual  being  that  ever  visited  the  earth.  All 
the  preceding  ministering  spirits  who  spoke  in  the 
name  of  God  (and  that  were  "  called  gods,  be- 
cause," as  Jesus  said,  "  the  word  of  God  came  to" 
and  through  "  them"),  in  every  cycle,  were  infe- 
rior to  Christ,  and  to  his  order  and  sphere,  being 
mediators  between  him  and  the  earth's  inhabitants 
in  every  nation. 

45.  Thus,  previous  to  the  personal  appearing 
of  Christ  to  Jesus  and  to  Ann,  he  revealed  himself 
through  messengers — inferior  spiritual  agents,  ex- 
isting in  the  intermediate  spheres  of  the  spirit- 
world,  earthward ;  and  these  revealed  themselves 
to  man,  from  sphere  to  sphere. 

46.  Hence  it  is   said :    "  God,  who  at  sundry 


DOCTRINES   OF  THE  CHUKCH.  Ill 

times,  and  in  divers  manners,  spake  to  the  fathers, 
hy  thepro;phets  [in  the  spirit-world],  hath,  in  these 
last  days,  spoken  unto  us  by  his  Son."  That  is, 
the  communication  is  now  more  direct  than  it  was 
before ;  there  are  fewer  intervening  spheres  and 
mediators  between  those  who  are  in  the  fourth 
cycle  and  God. 

47.  Every  cycle,  or  Dispensation,  had  its  true 
Church,  both  in  the  spirit-world  and  on  earth. 
These  existed  in  a  state  of  rapport  with  each 
other.  The  earth  Church  received  its  spiritual 
ministrations  from  the  corresponding  Church  in 
the  spirit-world.  (See  Heb.  xii.  22  and  29.)  It 
was  the  spiritual  influx  from  that  Church  that  was 
the  Holy  Ghost,  or  (as  it  ought  to  be  rendered) 
Holy  Spirit  j  for  in  the  original  languages  the 
Holy  Spirit  is  always  designated  by  the  neuter 
gender,  it.  It  is  the  "  anointing,"  blessing,  or 
"  unction,"  of  the  appointed  lead  in  the  sj)irit 
Church. 

48.  Every  Church  had  its  own  Holy  Spirit ;  and 
when  it  is  said  that  "holy  men  of  old  wrote  as 
they  were  moved  by  the  Holy  Ghost,"  it  implies 


112  SHAKEKS    AisD    SHAKEEISM. 

that  it  was  tlie  Holy  Spirit  of  tlieir  Dlsjyensation, 
and  of  its  Church  in  the  spirit-sphere  ;  which  Holy 
Ghost  would  sanction  and  bless  such  things  as 
were  appropriate  to  that  degree  of  the  work  of 
God,  and  to  that  cycle,  or  Dispensation. 

49.  Unless  this  idea  of  a  jplurality  of  Holy 
Spirits,  as  well  as  a  plurality  of  cycles  and 
Churches,  be  received  and  borne  in  mind,  in  read- 
ing the  Scriptures,  darkness  and  confusion  of  mind 
must  ensue. 

50.  Jesus,  in  speaking  of  John  the  Baptist,  said : 
"  Of  all  that  had  been  born  of  women,  there  had 
not  arisen  a  greater  than  John,"  as  a  spiritual 
man,  up  to  that  time.  ''  John  was  filled  with  the 
Holy  Spirit  from  his  mother's  womb.''  If  there 
were  but  one  Holy  Spirit,  this  would  place  John 
very  high.  But  the  fact  is,  John  never  became  a 
Christian  at  all  on  earth;  he  lived  and  died  a 
Jew,  Consequently,  John  was  not  baptized  with 
any  higher  spiritual  influence  than  the  Holy  Spirit 
of  the  Jewish  Church.  And  Jesus  said,  "  He  that 
is  least  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  is  greater  than 
he" — Jolin, 


DOCTEDs'ES    OF   THE   CHrilCH.  113 

51.  Jesus  promised  that,  Tvhen  he  should  come 
into  the  spirit-world,  he  would  send  his  disciples 
the  Comforter,  or  Holy  Spirit.  "In  my  Father's 
house  are  many  mansions.  I  go  to  prepare  a  place 
for  you."  Jesus  had  first  to  establish  the  Church 
of  the  tldrd  Dispensation  in  the  spirit-world,  be- 
fore he  could  send  them  its  Holy  Spirit,  or  that 
there  could  be  a  pentecostal  day. 

52.  I  will  pray  the  Father,  and  He  will  give 
give  you  another  Comforter,  which  is  the  Holy 
Spirit."  Thus  Jesus  promised  plainly  to  send 
them  another  Holy  Ghost,  distinct  from  any  they 
had  theretofore  received,  being  the  Holy  Ghost  of 
the  first  Christian  Church. 

53.  The  second  Christian  Church  has  also  its 
Holy  Spirit,  and  is- the  Church  of  the  last  Dispen- 
sation, or  cycle.  The  Holy  Spirit  and  influence 
proceeding  from  this  Church  in  the  spirit-world,  is 
the  fire  with  which  John  said  Jesus  would  baptize 
souls  ;  which  fire  will  burn  up  the  generative 
nature,  while  (at  the  same  time)  it  is  spiritual  food, 
and  creates  souls  anew  in  the  resurrection,  or 
regenerative  state.     Under  its  guidance,  they  seek 


114  SHAKEES   AND   SHATTEEISM. 

and  find  "  those  things  that  are  above"  the  earthly 
order,  where  Jesus  and  Christ  exist. 


PART  ly. 

JTDGMEXT  DAT,   AXD   COKTESSION   OF  SIXS. 

54.  A  radical  and  most  important  principle  in 
the  Shaker,  or  second  Christian  Church,  is  the 
oixd  confession  of  sins  to  God^  in  the  presence  of 
one  or  two  witnesses. 

55.  This  rests  upon  the  premises  that  the  natu- 
ral man  never  has  seen,  and  never  will  see,  God 
personally,  either  in  this  or  any  other  world. 
Therefore  the  judgment,  as  well  as  the  mercy  and 
goodness,  of  God,  must  necessarily  be  administered 
to  souls  through  agencies  appointed  by  a  Divine 
revelation  from  God,  for  that  express  purpose,  in 
all  cycles  and  true  Churches.  This  was  the  law 
and  practice  under  the  three  preceding  Dispensa- 
tions, in  the  respective  Churches  thereof,  while 
standing  in  rectitude. 

bQ,  The  Mosaic  Law  said  :  "  If  a  man  sin,  and 


DOCTEDsES    OF   THE    CHURCH.  115 

commit  any  of  the  things  that  are  forbidden  to  be 
done,  he  shall  confess  that  he  hath  sinned  in  that 
thing  /  and  he  shall  bring  his  trespass  offering 
unto  the  Lord,  for  his  sin  which  he  hath  sinned ; 
and  the  priests  shall  make  an  atonement  for 
him." 

57.  All  those  who  came  to  John,  and  were  bap- 
tized of  water,  did  it  "  confessing  their  sins,"  as 
required  by  Moses.  And  even  Jesus  found  his 
spiritual  relation  and  union  to  John  in  the  same 
order. 

58.  In  founding  Christianity,  Jesus  declared 
there  was  "  nothing  covered  that  should  not  be 
revealed ;  or  hid  that  should  not  be  made  known." 
And,  in  ministering  the  Holy  Spirit  to  the  Apos- 
tles, after  his  crucifixion,  he  said  :  "  Whosesoever 
sins  ye  remit,  they  are  remitted  unto  them ;  and 
whosesoever  sins  ye  retain,  they  are  retained." 

59.  The  fallen  Gentile  Christian  Church  hav- 
ing abused  this  institution,  in  common  with  every 
Christian  doctrine,  does  not  invalidate  the  principle 
itself,  nor  render  it  nugatory  (in  the  proper  order) 
in  the  true  Church,  but  conjirms  it,  as  really  as 


116  SHAKEE3    AXD    SHAKEEISM. 

does  counterfeit  coin  ^:)rove  that  there  is  true 
money.  Had  there  not  been  convincing  evidence 
of  tills  ^Tinci])le  in  the  primitive  Church,  the 
Catholic  priesthood  could  never  have  enforced  its 
practice  upon  their  votaries. 

60.  In  the  second  appearing  of  Christ,  the  con- 
fession of  sins  Tvas  again  restored  and  established 
in  perfect  order.  Ann  Lee  confessed  her  sins  to 
Jane  and  James  Wardlej^;  and  she  continually 
taught  and  enjoined  it  as  the  first  act  of  a  repent- 
ant soul,  and  as  being  absolutely  essential  to  the 
reception  of  the  jpower  to  forsake  sin. 

61.  Mother  Ann,  and  the  elders  with  her,  often 
revealed  the  most  secret  sins,  that  were  purposely 
kept  back  by  such  as  were  opening  their  minds 
before  them.  Mother  said :  "  The  first  step  in 
obedience  that  any  one  of  you  can  take,  is  to 
confess  your  sins  to  God,  before  his  witnesses. 
Herein  Christ  is  to  be  found  as  a  Saviour,  and  a 
forgiver-of  sins,  and  nowhere  else.  For  herein  is 
contained  the  promise  of  God,  but  not  in  any  other 
way." 

62.  Again,  she  said  :  "  They  that  honestly  con- 


D0CTEIXE3    OF   THE   CHrECH.  117 

fess  all  their  sins,  with  a  full  determination  to  for- 
sake them  forever,  will  find  strength  of  God  to 
forsake  them ;  and  in  taking  up  the  cross  against 
every  known  sin,  and  following  Christ  in  the  re- 
generation, in  that  life  of  obedience,  they  will  be 
clothed  in  the  righteousness  of  Christ,  and  become 
the  sons  and  daughters  of  God ;  being  heirs  of 
God,  and  joint-heirs  with  Jesus  Christ." 

63.  At  another  time  Mother  said :  "  When  I 
confessed  my  sins,  I  labored  to  remember  the  time 
when,  and  the  place  where,  I  committed  them. 
And  when  I  had  confessed  them,  I  cried  to  God  to 
know  if  my  confession  was  accepted ;  and  by  cry- 
ing to  God  continually,  I  travelled  out  of  my  loss." 

64.  The  experience  of  more  than  TO  years,  by 
the  Church,  of  the  operation  and  effect  of  this 
principle  (and  practice)  has  well  established  it  in 
the  understanding,  and  confirmed  it  in  the  affec- 
tions, of  the  people  called  Shakers. 


118  SHAKEES    AisD    SHAEEEISM. 

PAET    Y.  ^ 

THE    BIBLE. 

65.  The  Shakers  hold  the  Bible  to  be  a  record 
of  the  most  Divine  Angelic  ministrations  to  man, 
and  more  or  less  an  imperfect  record  of  the  spirit- 
ual and  religious  experience  and  history  of  the 
most  highly  progressed  portion  or  branch  of  the 
human  family. 

66.  They  also  believe  that  the  state  and  con- 
dition of  the  seers,  prophets,  and  prophetesses,  or 
mediums,  determined  the  quantity,  and  affected  the 
quality,  of  every  Divine  revelation.  The  same 
may  be  said  of  the  translators  and  translations  of 
the  Bible. 

67.  It  is  thought  by  the  Shakers  that  the  book 
of  the  "  Revelation'' ^  has  suffered  less  from  inter- 
polations and  mistranslations  than  any  other ; 
partly  by  reason  of  the  anathema  it  contains 
against  all  who  should  add  to,  or  take  from,  its 
contents ;  but  still  more  because  the  Spirit  has 
clothed  it  with  such  a  complexity  of  tropes,  sym- 
bols, and  figures,  that  it  is  utterly  unintelligible  to 


D0CTKIXE3    OF   THE    CHUECH.  119 

the  generative  man,  and  could  not  be  comprehend- 
ed until  the  central  event — the  second  ajypearing  of 
Christ — had  transpired ;  that  being  the  only  key- 
by  -which  to  unlock  its  mysteries,  break  its  seals, 
and  unfold  its  treasures  of  wisdom  and  truth,  by 
baptizing  souls  -with  the  Spirit  that  dictated  it, 
and  forming  in  them  the  character  of  the  "  Lion 
of  the  tribe  of  Judah;"  during  which  process,  all 
the  events  described  in  that  looh  would  be  accom- 
plished in  them  as  individuals.  And,  indeed,  it  is 
a  chart  of  ecclesiastical  history. 


CHAPTER   XL 

BIOGRAPHY   OF   THE    SIX   FOTINDEKS    OF   THE 
SHAKEE    SOCIETY. 

ANN   LEE. 

1.  Ann  Lee  was  born  February  29,  1T36,  in 
Toad  Lane  (now  Todd's  Street),  Manchester, 
England.  Her  father,  John  Lee,  was  a  black- 
smith ;  and,  although  poor,  he  was  respectable  in 
character,  moral  in  principle,  honest  in  his  deal- 
ings, and  industrious  in  his  business.  With  him 
she  resided  until  she  embarked  for  America.  Her 
mother  was  esteemed  as  a  very  pious  woman. 
They  had  five  sons  and  three  daughters,  who,  as 
was  then  common  for  poor  persons'  children,  were 
brought  up  to  work,  instead  of  being  sent  to 
school ;  by  which  means,  Ann  acquired  an  indus- 
trious habit,  but  could  neither  write  nor  read. 

2.  During  her  childhood  and  youth,  she  was  em- 


Als^N   LEE.  121 

ployed  in  a  cotton  factory,  and  afterwards  was  a 
cutter  of  hatters'  fur.  She  was  also  employed  as 
cook  in  the  Manchester  infirmary,  where  she  was 
distinguished  for  her  neatness,  faithfulness,  pru- 
dence, and  good  economy. 

3.  In  appearance,  Ann  Leo  was  ahout  the  com- 
mon stature  of  women.  She  was  thick-set,  but 
straight,  well-proportioned,  and  regular  in  form 
and  features.  Her  complexion  was  light  and  fair, 
blue  eyes,  and  light  chesnut  brown  hair.  Her 
countenance  was  mild  and  expressive,  but  grave 
and  solemn.  Her  glance  was  keen  and  pene- 
trating ;  her  countenance  inspired  confidence  and 
respect.     Many  called  her  beautiful. 

4.  She  possessed  a  sound,  strong,  and  healthy 
physical  constitution,  and  remarkable  powers  and 
faculties  of  mind.  At  times,  when  under  the  ope- 
ration of  the  Holy  Spirit,  her  form  and  actions 
appeared  to  be  divinely  beautiful  and  angelic. 
The  power  and  influence  of  her  spirit  was  then  be- 
yond description,  and  she  spoke  as  "  one  having 
authoritj." 

5    In  childhood,  she  exhibited  a  bright,  saga- 


122  SHAKEES   AXD    SHAKERISM. 

cious,  and  active  genius.  She  was  not  addicted  to 
play,  like  other  children  of  her  age,  but  was  seri- 
ous and  thoughtful.  She  was  early  the  subject  of 
religious  impressions,  and  was  often  favored  with 
heavenly  visions. 

6.  As  she  advanced  in  years  she  was  strongly 
impressed  with  a  sense  of  the  deep  depravity  of 
human  nature,  and  of  the  odiousness  of  sin,  espe- 
cially the  impure  and  indecent  nature  of  sexual 
coition  for  mere  gratification.  To  her  mother  she 
often  expressed  her  feelings  respecting  these  things, 
and  earnestly  desired  to  be  kept  and  preserved 
from  sin,  and  from  those  abominations  her  soul  so 
much  abhorred. 

7.  But,  notwithstanding  her  repugnance  to  the 
marriage  state,  through  the  importunities  of  her 
relations,  she  was  induced  to  be  married  to  Abra- 
ham Stanley,  a  blacksmith,  by  whom  she  had  four 
children,  who  died  in  their  infancy. 

8.  She  continued  to  reside  at  her  father's  house; 
but  the  convictions  of  her  youth  often  returned 
upon  her  with  much  forc'e,  which  at  length  brought 
her  under  excessive  tribulation  of  soul,  in  which 


ANN    LEE.  123 

she  sought  earnestly  for  deliverance  from  the  bond- 
age of  sin,  and  gave  herself  no  rest,  day  or  night, 
but  often  spent  whole  nights  in  laboring  and  crying 
to  God  to  open  some  way  of  salvation. 

9.  In  the  year  1758,  and  23d  year  of  her  age, 
she  united  herself  to  a  society  called  ShaJcers  which 
was  under  the  ministration  of  Jane  and  James 
Wardley,  formerly  of  the  Quaker  order.  The 
people  of  that  society  vrere  of  blameless  deport- 
ment, and  were  distinguished  for  the  clearness  and 
swiftness  of  their  testimony  against  sin,  the  strict- 
ness of  their  moral  discipline,  and  for  the  purity 
of  their  lives. 

10.  The  light  of  this  people  led  them  to  an 
open  confession  of  every  sin  they  had  committed, 
and  to  take  up  a  full  and  final  cross  against  every- 
thing they  knew  to  be  evil.  This  endowed  them 
with  great  power  over  sin ;  and  here  Ann  found 
that  protection  she  had  so  long  desired,  and  which 
corresponded  with  her  faith  at  that  time.  She 
was  baptized  into  the  same  Spirit,  and  by  degrees 
travelled  to  the  full  knowledge  and  experience  of 
all  the  spiritual  truths  of  the  Society. 


124  SHAKEES    AND    SHAKEEISM. 

11.  To  her  followers  she  said  :  "  I  love  the  day 
that  I  first  received  the  Gospel.  I  call  it  my  birth- 
day. I  cried  to  God,  without  intermission,  for 
three  days  and  three  nights,  that  He  would  give 
me  true  desires.  And  when  I  received  a  gift  of 
God,  I  did  not  go  away  and  forget  it,  and  travel 
no  further ;  but  I  stood  faithful,  day  and  night, 
warring  against  all  sin,  and  praying  to  God  for  de- 
liverance from  the  very  nature  of  sin.  And  other 
persons  need  not  expect  to  find  power  over  sin 
without  the  same  labor  and  travel  of  soul. 

12.  "  I  felt  such  a  sense  of  my  sins  that  I  was 
willing  to  confess  them  before  the  whole  world.  I 
confessed  my  sins  to  my  elders,  one  by  one,  and 
repented  of  them  in  the  same  manner.  When  my 
elders  reproved  me,  I  felt  determined  not  to  be  re- 
proved twice  for  the  same  thing,  but  to  labor  to 
overcome  the  evil  for  myself. 

13.  ^'  Soon  after  I  set  out  to  travel  in  the  way 
of  God,  I  labored  a-nights  in  the  work  of  God. 
Sometimes  I  labored  all  night,  continually  crying 
to  God  for  my  own  redemption.  Sometimes  I 
went  to  bed  and  slept ;  but  in  the  morning,  if  I 


A2^'X   LKE.  125 

could  not  feel  that  sense  of  the  -syork  of  God  that  I 
did  before  I  slept,  I  would  labor  all  night.  This 
I  did  many  nights,  and  in  the  da)'time  I  put  my 
hands  to  work,  and  my  heart  to  God ;  and  when  I 
felt  weary  and  in  need  of  rest,  I  labored  for  the 
power  of  God,  and  the  refreshing  operations  thereof 
would  release  me,  so  that  I  felt  able  to  go  to  my 
work  again. 

14.  ''  iNlany  times,  when  I  was  about  my  work, 
I  have  felt  my  soul  overwhelmed  with  sorrow.  I 
used  to  work  as  long  as  I  could  keep  it  concealed, 
and  then  would  go  out  of  sight,  lest  any  one  should 
pity  me  with  that  pity  which  was  not  of  God.  In 
my  travel  and  tribulation  my  sufferings  were  so 
great,  that  my  flesh  consumed  upon  my  bones, 
bloody  sweat  pressed  through  the  pores  of  my 
skin,  and  I  became  as  helpless  as  an  infant.  And 
when  I  was  brought  through,  and  born  into  the 
spiritual  kingdom,  I  was  like  an  infant  just  born 
into  the  natural  world.  They  see  colors  and  ob- 
jects, but  they  know  not  what  they  see.  It  was 
so  with  me ;  but  before  I  was  21  hours  old,  I  saw^ 
and  I  knew  what  I  saw." 


126         SHAKEES  AND  SHAKEEISM. 

15.  Ann  was  wrought  upon  after  this  manner  for 
the  space  of  nine  years.  Yet  she  often  had  inter- 
vals of  releasement,  in  which  her  bodily  strength 
and  vigor  was  sometimes  miraculously  renewed ; 
and,  at  times,  her  soul  was  filled  with  heavenly 
visions  and  Divine  revelations.  By  these  means, 
the  way  of  God  and  the  nature  of  his  v>^ork  gradu- 
ally opened  upon  her  mind  with  increasing  light 
and  understanding. 

16.  The  Divine  manifestations  she  received  from 
time  to  time  were  communicated  to  the  Society, 
and  tended  greatly  to  enlighten  the  minds  and 
strengthen  the  faith  of  the  members,  and  to  in- 
crease and  confirm  the  testimony.  Her  mind,  ever 
intent  upon  the  great  work  of  salvation,  was  greatly 
affected  concerning  the  lost  state  of  mankind.  But 
the  real  foundation  of  that  loss  was  still  concealed 
from  her  view  ;  nor  could  she  see  any  prospect  of 
recovery  under  the  existing  circumstances  ;  for  she 
had  long  been  convinced  that  there  was  nothing  in 
all  the  professions  and  practices  of  professors  that 
could  save  them  from  sin  here,  or  furnish  to  them 
any  reasonable  hope  of  salvation  hereafter. 


A2sX    LEE.  127 

IT.  She  spent  much  time  in  earnest  and  inces- 
sant cries  to  God,  to  show  her  the  foundation  of 
man's  loss,  what  it  was,  and  wherein  it  consisted ; 
and  how  the  way  of  salvation  could  be  discovered 
and  effectually  opened  to  mankind  in  the  state  they 
were  then  in,  and  how  the  great  work  of  redemp- 
tion was  to  be  accomplished. 

18.  The  ultimate  fruit  of  the  labor  and  suffering 
of  soul  that  Ann  passed  through  was  to  purify  and 
fitly  prepare  her  for  becoming  a  temple  in  whom 
the  same  Christ  Spirit  that  had  made  a  first  ap- 
pearing to  Jesus,  at  his  baptism  by  John  in  Jordan 
(the  river  of  Judgment),  at  which  time  he  received 
the  anointing  which  constituted  him  Jesus  Christ, 
could  make  a  second  appearing ;  and  through  whom 
the  God  of  heaven  could  set  up  a  Church,  or 
"kingdom,  which  should  never  be  destroyed;"  for 
all  previous  Churches  had  been  destroyed  by  and 
through  the  operation  of  the  fleshly  lusts  of  their 
own  members.  They  all  commenced  in  the  Spirit, 
and  with  a  cross ;  but,  through  self-indulgence, 
^' ended  in  the  flesh." 

19.  While    Ann,    for    her    testimony    against 


• 


128  SHAXEES    AiN'D    SHAKEEISM. 

*'  fleshly  lusts,  which  Tvar  against  the  soulj"  was 
imprisoned  in  JNIanchester,  England,  she  saw  Jesus 
Christ  in  open  vision,  who  revealed  to  her  the 
most  astonishing  views  and  Divine  manifestations 
of  truth,  in  which  she  had  a  perfect  and  clear 
sight  of  the  "  mystery  of  iniquity,"  the  root  and 
foundation  of  all  human  depravity,  and  of  the  very 
act  of  transgression  committed  by  Adam  and  Eve 
in  the  garden  of  Eden. 

20.  Thus  it  was  made  plain  to  her  understand- 
ing how  and  in  what  manner  all  mankind  were  lost 
from  God,  and  that  a  complete  cross  against  the 
lusts  of  genercdion^  added  to  a  full  and  explicit 
confession,  before  witnesses,  of  all  the  sins  com- 
mitted under  its  influence,  was  the  only  possible 
effectual  remedy  and  means  of  salvation;  and  also 
that  absolute  death  to  the  generative  or  propagative 
life  itself  (in  even  its  most  innocent,  uncorrupted 
state),  was  the  preliminary  step  to  the  quickening 
and  resurrection  of  the  hidden  spiritual  life  of  God 
in  the  soul,  which  life  is  eternal  in  its  nature  and 
duration. 

21.  Does  not  this  disclose  the  meaning  of  the 


ANN    LEE.  129 

Scripture  phrase,  "  the  Lamb  slain  from,"  cut  off 
and  elevated  above,  '^  the  foundation"  principle 
"of  the"  natural  "  world  1"  which  is  the  life  of 
the  innocent  generative  nature  of  man  operating 
upon  the  procreative  or  propagative  animal  plane, 
that  from  the  beginning  was  designed  to  be  merely 
temporary — a  stepping-stone  to  a  superior  order, 
as  the  worm  state  to  that  of  the  butterfly.  And, 
after  having  subserved  its  use  of  producing  and 
continuing  the  race,  to  be  slain,  and  then  sup- 
planted by  the  opening  of  the  next  discrete  degree 
— the  Divine-spiritual — in  the  soul,  which  is  the 
ultimate  and  final  resurrection. 

22.  The  foregoing  is  agreeable  to  the  Scripture 
records,  and  is  a  fulfillment  of  the  prophetic  say- 
ings in  the  books  of  the  "  Revelation"  and 
"  Psalms"  — "  The  marriage  of  the  Lamb  is  come, 
and  his  wife  hath  7nade  herself  veady,'^''  ''  She  is 
arrayed  in  fine  linen,  clean  and  white ;  for  the  fine 
linen  is  the  righteousness  of  saints."  The  King 
and  Queen  mentioned  in  the  forty-fifth  Psalm  do 
evidently  show  forth  the  dual  order  of  the  king- 
dom of  Christ.     No  one  disputes   that  the  King 


130  SHAKEES   AND   SHAT^EEISM. 

refers  to  Jesus ;  but  who  is  the  Queen  that  stood 
at  his  right  hand,  adorned  with  gold  of  Ophir  %  to 
whom  the  Spirit  saith,  "  Forget  also  thine  own 
people^  and  ihj  father^ s  house  ;  so  shall  the  King 
greatly  desire  thy  beauty ;  for  he  is  thy  Lord,  and 
worship  thou  him." 

23.  ""  She  is  all  glorious  within !  her  clothing 
is  of  wrought  gold  and  fine  needlework,"  very 
labored :  all  going  to  show  that  she  had  a  great 
work  to  do,  to  fit  her  for  the  spiritual  order,  and  to 
"make  herself  ready." 

24.  The  "  virgins,  her  companions,  that  follow 
herj"  are  the  men  and  women  who  constitute  the 
virgin  Church.  '^  They  are  brought  with  gladness 
and  rejoicing  to  the  King's  palace."  And  the 
name  of  the  Queen  would  be  "remembered  through 
all  generations ;  and  the  people  would  praise  her 
forever." 

25.  And,  "  instead  of  her  father's,  should  be  her 
children,  whom  she  would  make  princes  in  all  the 
earth  ;"  being  the  spiritual  posterity  of  the  "King 
and  Queen."  All  this  is  being  literally  accomplish- 
ed in  the  Church  of  Christ's  Second  Appearing. 


A2s^X    LEE.  131 

26.  From  the  time  of  the  appearing  of  Christ  to 
Ann,  in  the  prison,  she  was  received  by  the  people 
as  a  Mother  in  spiritual  things,  and  Avas  thence- 
forth by  them  called  Mother  Ami. 

27.  The  exercises  in  their  religious  assemblies 
were  singing  and  dancing,  shaking  and  shouting, 
speaking  with  new  tongues,  and  prophesying,  with 
all  those  various  gifts  of  the  Holy  Spirit  known  in 
the  Primitive  Church.  These  gifts  progressively 
increased  until  the  time  of  the  full  establishment 
of  the  Church  in  America. 

28.  From  that  time  (1770)  Mother  Ann,  by  the 
immediate  revelation  of  Christ,  bore  an  open  testi- 
mony against  all  lustful  gratifications,  as  the  source 
and  foundation  of  human  corruption  and  misery. 
She  testified  in  the  most  plain  and  pointed  manner 
that  no  soul  could  follow  Christ  in  the  regenera- 
tion, while  living  in  the  works  of  natural  generation. 

29.  Her  testimony  was  often  delivered  with  such 
mighty  spiritual  power,  accompanied  with  so  heart- 
searching  and  soul-quickening  a  spirit,  that  it 
seemed  to  penetrate  every  secret  of  the  heart. 
But,  to  tho?e  who  rejected  her  testimony,  it  often 


132  SHAKERS    AXD    SHAKEEISM. 

had  the  effect  of  arousing  in  them  the  most  bitter 
and  relentless  spirit  of  persecution,  more  especially 
among  high  professors  in  the  popular  churches,  in 
which  the  lusts  of  the  world  and  religion  were 
and  are  combined. 

30.  The  ministration  of  power  over  all  sin, 
attended  with  visions,  revelations,  and  other  spir- 
itual gifts,  was  the  seal  of  Mother  Ann's  testimony 
to  those  who  received  it. 

81.  The  immediate  cause,  or  pretense,  of  the 
imprisonment  already  referred  to,  was  dancing, 
shouting,  shaking,  etc.,  in  the  worship  of  God,  on 
the  Sabbath  day — "  Sahlath  'breaking,'^'' 

32.  These  meetings  excited  public  attention,  and 
stirred  up  the  malignant  feelings  of  many,  both 
professors  (especially  of  the  clergy)  and  profane, 
of  almost  every  class  and  description,  to  such  a 
degree  of  enmity,  that,  by  formal  opposition  and 
tumultuous  mobs,  open  persecution  and  secret 
malice,  the  life  of  Ann  was  many  times  in  great 
jeopardy. 

33.  She  was  often  shamefully  and  cruelly  abused, 
and  several  times  imprisoned.     She  was  once  drag- 


AXX   LEE.  133 

ged  out  of  the  meeting  by  a  mob,  and  cast  into  a 
prison  in  Manchester.  They  put  her  in  a  cell  so 
small  that  she  could  not  straighten  herself,  and, 
with  the  design  of  starving  her  to  death,  kept  her 
there  fourteen  days  without  food ;  nor  was  the  door 
opened  during  all  that  time.  She  had  nothing  to 
eat  or  drink,  except  some  v,'ine  and  milk  mixed, 
put  into  the  bowl  of  a  tobacco-pipe,  and  conveyed 
to  her  by  inserting  the  stem  through  the  key-hole 
once  every  24  hours.  This  was  done  by  James 
Whittaker,  when  a  boy,  whom  Mother  Ann  brought 
up.  When  taken  out  of  prison,  her  enemies  were 
astonished  to  see  her  walk  off,  looking  as  well  as 
when  she  entered. 

34.  "  On  another  occasion,"  she  said,  "  a  great 
mob  came  against  me,  determined  to  put  an  end  to 
my  existence.  They  took  me  into  the  high  road, 
and  ordered  me  to  advance.  In  submission  thereto, 
I  made  the  attempt,  but  was  soon  knocked  down 
with  clubs ;  and  after  I  got  up  and  began  to  walk, 
I  was  kicked  every  few  steps  for  two  miles.  I  then 
felt  almost  ready  to  give  up  the  ghost,  and  was 
%int  with  thirst.     While  I  was  suffering  by  the 


IStt  SHA-KF.es  A2sD  shakeeism. 

merciless  mob,  not  one  friend  was  allowed  to  fol- 
low me.  But  God  in  his  mercy  remembered  me, 
and  sent  a  deliverer. 

35.  "  A  certain  nobleman  living  some  distance, 
who  knew  nothing  of  what  was  passing,  was  re- 
markably wrought  upon  in  his  mind,  and  urged  by 
his  feelings  to  go  ;  but  where,  or  for  what  cause, 
he  did  not  know.  He  ordered  his  servant  to  fetch 
his  horse  immediately.  The  servant  went  in  haste, 
but  the  nobleman's  anxiety  was  so  great  that  he 
sent  a  messenger  after  his  servant  to  hasten  him. 
Having  mounted  his  horse,  he  rode  as  if  it  had 
been  to  save  his  own  life,  as  he  afterwards  told 
me.  He  came  to  a  large  concourse  of  persons, 
and  on  being  informed  what  their  business  was,  he 
rode  up  to  the  place  where  I  was,  and  sharply  re- 
proved the  mob  for  their  abuse  and  cruel  conduct, 
and  dispersed  them,  and  I  was  restored  to  my 
friends." 

36.  Mother  Ann  was  repeatedly  delivered  from 
imminent  danger  by  the  same  invisible  power  that 
induced  this  nobleman  to  release  her.  At  one  time 
a  mob  attempted  to  bind  her  with  ropes,  but  were 


ANN    LEE.  135 

unable  to  do  so  by  reason  of  the  spiritual  power 
by  which  she  was  exercised. 

37.  At  another  time  she  was  accused  of  hlas- 
l^heiny^  and  was  told  that  her  tongue  should  be 
bored  through  with  a  hot  iron,  and  her  cheek 
branded.  She  was  brought  before  four  ministers 
of  the  Established  Church,  with  a  view  to  obtain 
judgment  against  her.  They  asked  her  to  speak 
in  other  tongues,  but  she  told  them  that  unless  she 
should  feel  the  power  of  God  she  could  not  do 
that.  She  was  soon  operated  upon,  and  spoke  for 
four  hours  of  the  wonderful  works  of  God. 

38.  These  clergymen  were  great  linguists,  and 
they  testified  that  she  had  spoken  in  seventy-two 
difierent  tongues.  This  had  the  eiFect  of  causing 
them  to  advise  the  mob  not  to  molest  her,  which 
only  disappointed  and  enraged  them,  and  they 
resolved  themselves  into  her  judges  and  execu- 
tioners, and  decided  to  stone  her  to  death  as  a 
hlaspJiemer. 

39.  The  mob  then  took  Mother  Ann,  William 
Lee,  and  James  and  Daniel  Whittaker  into  a  val- 
ley outside  the  town ;  and  having  provided  them- 


136  SHAKERS    AISTD    SHAKERI6M. 

selves  with  stones  suitable  in  size  and  number,  they 
threw  them  at  their  victims,  but  could  not  hit  either 
of  them.  They  then  fell  into  contention  among 
themselves,  and  abandoned  their  wicked  design. 

40.  Mother  Ann  said :  "  While  they  were 
throwing  the  stones  I  felt  myself  surrounded  by 
the  presence  of  God,  and  my  soul  was  filled  with 
love.  I  knew  they  could  not  kill  me,  for  my  work 
was  not  done ;  therefore  I  felt  joyful  and  comfort- 
able, while  my  enemies  felt  confusion  and  distress." 

41.  Mother  Ann  related  an  instance  of  persecu- 
tion she  received  from  one  of  her  brothers  thus  : — 
"  One  of  my  brothers,  being  greatly  enraged,  said 
he  was  determined  to  overcome  me  ;  so  he  brought 
a  staff  about  the  size  of  a  broom-handle,  and  came 
to  me  as  I  was  sitting  in  a  chair,  singing  by  the 
power  of  God.  He  beat  me  over  the  face  and 
nose  with  the  staff,  till  one  end  of  it  was  much 
splintered.  I  sensibly  felt  and  saw  the  bright  rays 
of  the  glory  of  God  pass  between  my  face  and  the 
staff,  and  I  did  but  just  feel  the  blows.  'He  con- 
tinued beating  until  he  was  so  far  spent  that  he 
called  for  drink.     He  then  began  again  with  the 


ANN   LEE.  137 

other  end  of  the  staff,  and  I  felt  my  breath  like 
healing  balsam,  which  healed  me,  so  that  I  felt  no 
harm  from  the  strokes." 

42.  "At  another  time  [she  said],  in  the  even- 
ing, I  was  informed  by  a  friend  that  there  was  a 
mob  after  me.  I  ran  out  to  the  back  side  of  a 
hill,  where  there  was  a  pond  covered  with  ice.  I 
laid  down  upon  the  ice,  and  remained  there  all 
night,  in  great  peace  and  consolation,  and  did  not 
take  cold."  These  were  but  a  small  part  of  the 
persecutions  suffered  by  Mother  Ann.       « 

43.  On  one  occasion  a  man  started  from  Man- 
chester to  go  to  the  king,  to  obtain  a  license  to 
banish  IMother  Ann  and  her  followers  from  the 
country ;  but  on  the  way  he  died,  as  was  believed, 
by  a  judgment  of  God.  Some  others  of  their  bit- 
ter persecutors  met  with  untimely  deaths  in  an  un- 
usual manner ;  others  of  them  were  deeply  con- 
victed ;  and  fear  fell  upon  the  remainder. 

44.  For  two  years  previous  to  their  leaving 
England,  persecution  entirely  ceased,  and  they 
enjoyed  their  faith  in  peace,  and  worshiped  God 
unmolested. 


138  SnAKEES    AND    SIIAKEEISM. 

45.  On  the  lOtli  of  May,  1774,  Mother  Ann, 
Abraham  Stanley  (her  husband),  William  Lee, 
James  Whittaker,  John  Hocknell,  Richard  Hock- 
nell,  James  Shepherd,  Mary  Partington,  and 
Nancy  Lee  embarked  for  America,  in  the  ship 
Mariah,  Captain  Smith,  of  New  York.  All  of 
them  had  received  spiritual  manifestations,  and 
the  Spirits  directed  them  to  repair  to  America, 
and  informed  them  that  the  Church  of  Christ's 
Second  Appearing  would  be  established  in  that 
country. 

46.  Mother  Ann  said  :  "  I  knew  by  the  revela- 
tion of  God,  that  God  had  a  chosen  people  in 
America ;  I  saw  some  of  them  in  vision ;  and 
when  I  met  with  them  in  America,  I  knew  them. 
I  had  a  vision  of  America  :  I  saw  a  large  tree, 
every  leaf  of  which  shone  with  such  brightness  as 
made  it  appear  like  a  burning  torch,  representing 
the  Church  of  Christ,  which  will  yet  be  established 
in  this  land. 

47.  "  Previous  to  our  coming  we  called  a  meeting, 
and  there  were  so  many  gifts  (such  as  prophecies, 
revelations,  visions,  and  dreams)  in  confirmation 


ANN    LEE.  139 

of  a  former  revelation  for  us  to  come,  that  some 
could  hardly  "^vait  for  others  to  tell  their  gifts.  We 
had  a  joyful  meeting,  and  danced  till  morning." 

48.  James  Whittaker,  one  of  Mother  Ann's 
companions  and  followers,  said :  "  Before  we  em- 
barked, Mother  Ann  told  the  captain  that  he 
should  not  have  whereof  to  accuse  us,  except  it 
were  concerning  the  law  of  our  God.  And  when 
we  went  forth  to  praise  God  in  songs  and  dances, 
the  captain  was  greatly  offended,  and  threatened  to 
throw  us  overboard  if  we  repeated  the  offence. 

49.  "  But  we,  believing  it  better  to  obey  God 
rather  than  man,  when  we  felt  a  gift  of  God,  again 
went  forth  in  the  same  manner  to  worship  Him, 
trusting  in  Him  for  protection.  This  so  greatly 
enraged  the  captain,  that  he  attempted  to  put  his 
threat  into  execution. 

50.  "  This  was  in  the  time  of  a  storm,  and  the 
vessel  sprang  a  leak,  occasioned  by  the  starting  of 
a  plank ;  and  the  water  flowed  in  so  rapidly,  that, 
although  all  the  pumps  were  put  into  use,  it 
gained  upon  us  very  fast.  The  whole  crew  were 
greatly  alarmed,  and  the  captain   turned  as  pale 


14:0  SHAKEiiS    A^D    tJHAI^EIS:^!. 

as   a   corpse,    and   said   all   would   perish   before 
morning. 

51.  "But  Mother  maintained  her  confidence  in 
God,  and  said,  '  Captain,  be  of  good  cheer ;  there 
shall  not  a  hair  of  our  heads  perish ;  we  shall  ar- 
rive safe  in  America.  I  just  saw  two  bright  angels 
of  God  standing  by  the  mast,  through  whom  I  re- 
ceived this  promise.'  She  then  encouraged  the 
seamen,  and  she  and  her  companions  assisted  at 
the  pumps,  when  there  came  a  great  wave,  which 
struck  the  ship  with  such  violence  that  the  plank 
was  forced  into  its  place,  and  all  were  soon  re- 
leased from  the  pumps. 

52.  "  After  this,  the  captain  gave  us  full  liberty 
to  worship  God  according  to  the  dictates  of  our 
own  consciences,  and  promised  never  to  molest 
us  again,  and  during  the  remainder  of  the  voyage 
we  were  treated  with  kindness.  In  New  York, 
the  captain  declared  that,  if  it  had  not  been  for 
these  people,  he  should  never  have  reached 
America." 

53.  Having  landed  in  New  York  (August  6, 
1774),  the  company  had  to  divide,  to  seek  employ- 


ANN   LEE.  141 

ment  in  different  directions ;  for,  being  poor,  man- 
ual labor  was  their  only  means  of  subsistence. 

54.  Mother  Ann  remained  in  New  York ;  and 
the  connection  between  her  and  Abraham  Stanley- 
was  soon  after  dissolved  by  the  latter  marrying 
another  w^oman ;  shortly  after  which,  Mother  Ann 
went  up  the  river  to  Albany,  and  from  thence  to 
Niskeuna,  (a  wilderness,  but)  now  Watervliet. 
Here  the  company  was  reunited,  and  remained 
very  secluded  for  about  three  years  and  a  half. 

55.  In  the  spring  of  1780,  the  converts  of  a 
very  remarkable  religious  revival  at  New  Lebanon, 
N.  Y.,  began  to  visit  them,  many  of  whom  united 
with  them ;  and  thus  the  material  was  prepared 
for  a  Shaker  Society  at  that  place.  Consequent 
upon  this  addition  to  their  number,  opposition  and 
persecution  were  excited ;  and,  as  the  revolution- 
ary war  was  then  in  progress,  some  designing  men 
accused  them  of  being  imfriendly  to  the  jyatriotic 
cause^  from  the  fact  of  their  bearing  a  testimony 
against  war  in  general. 

5^.  They  were  arraigned  before  the  commission- 
ers of  Albany,  under  the  above  charge,  and  were 


14:2  SnAKEKS    A^B    SHAKEEISM. 

required  to  purge  themselves  from  the  suspicion  of 
being  enemies  in  disguise,  by  taking  the  oath  of 
allegiance.  But  swearing  was  also  contrary  to 
their  faith. 

57.  Whereupon  David  Darrow,  Joseph  Meach- 
am,  and  John  Hocknell  were  put  into  prison ;  then 
Hezekiah  Hammond  and  Joel  Pratt ;  and,  finally. 
Mother  Ann,  Mary  Partington,  Wm.  Lee,  James 
Whittaker,  and  Calvin  Harlow  were  also  imprisoned 
in  Albany,  in  July  of  this  year. 

58.  These  were  the  leaders  and  elders  of  the 
people.  They  were  treated  with  kindness  by  the 
commissioners  ;  and  many  sensible,  candid  persons 
expressed  their  displeasure  at  the  injustice  and  in- 
consistency of  imprisoning  an  innocent,  harmless 
people  for  their  religious  faith,  while  the  country 
itself  was  struggling  for  freedom  of  person  and  lib- 
erty of  conscience. 

59.  The  elders  were  much  visited  in  prison,  and 
many  received  faith  in  the  people  and  their  princi- 
ples, and  came  and  confessed  their  sins,  and 
'^  slioived  their  deeds.^^  Such,  indeed,  was  the 
power  of  God  that  accompanied  the  word  and  testi- 


A^s'X   LEE.  143 

mony,  that  often  some  in  the  crowd  were  seized 
with  conviction ;  and  open  confession  of  every 
known  sin  was  made  through  the  grating  of  the 
prison,  so  mightily  grew  the  Word  of  God,  and  pre- 
vailed. Thus,  unwittingly,  their  persecutors  took 
the  most  effectual  means  to  spread  the  very  work 
they  aimed  to  suppress. 

60.  Believers  were  allowed  the  privilege  of  com- 
muning with  them  in  prison,  and  administered  to 
their  necessities.  Mother  Ann,  however,  was  soon 
separated  from  the  company,  and,  accompanied  by 
Mary  Partington,  was  conveyed  down  the  river, 
with  the  intention  of  banishing  her  to  the  British 
army ;  but,  providentially  failing  in  that,  she  was 
lodged  in  the  jail  at  Poughkeepsie. 

61.  Near  the  close  of  the  same  year,  the  elders 
in  Albany  were  released  from  prison,  without  any 
trial,  hy  order  of  Governor  George  Clinton^  after 
being  confined  six  months,  without  any  cause,  ex- 
cept their  religious  faith.  And  being  informed  by 
those  released  of  the  imprisonment  of  INIother  Ann 
at  Poughkeepsie,  he  released  her  also.  This  was 
in  December,  1780,  when  she  joyfully  returned  to 


144  SHAKEPvS   AND   SHAKERISM. 

lier  spiritual  children,  to  their  great  comfort  and 
coDSoJation. 

62.  In  May,  1781,  Mother  Ann  and  the  elders 
left  Watervliet,  on  a  missionary  journey  to  Har- 
vard, Mass.,  and  other  places  in  the  Eastern 
States,  and  did  not  return  until  1783,  having  been 
absent  two  years  and  four  months.  During  this 
journey  many  persons,  in  different  places,  received 
the  Gospel  and  became  joined  to  them. 

63.  Again  they  were  subjected  to  the  most  bit- 
ter and  violent  persecutions.  They  were  whipped, 
beaten  with  clubs,  stoned,  kicked,  dragged  about 
by  their  legs  and  arms,  and  sometimes  by  the  hair 
of  their  heads ;  and  they  were  driven  from  place 
to  place  in  the  most  cruel  and  abusive  manner,  so 
that  many  of  them  narrowly  escaped  with  their 
lives,  and  numbers  of  them  carried  through  life  the 
marks  and  scars  of  the  wounds  which  they  had  re- 
ceived from  their  inhuman  persecutors.  Through 
all  these  trying  scenes  they  were  evidently  protect- 
ed and  supported  by  the  power  and  providence  of 
God,  so  that  no  life  was  suffered  to  be  taken. 

64.  Som.e  singular  and  dreadful  judgments  fol- 


AKN   LEE.  145 

lowed  the  prominent  actors  in  those  persecutions  ; 
and  it  became  a  proverb  among  the  world  :  ^'  These 
Shaker  drivers  are  all  coming  to  nought ;"  and  the 
persecutions  finally  altogether  ceased,  but  were  the 
effectual  means  of  spreading  the  faith  and  increas- 
ing the  number  of  the  believers  in  the  second 
appearing  of  Christ. 

Go.  Mother  Ann,  having  finished  her  work  on 
earth,  departed  this  life,  at  Watervliet,  on  the  8th  day 
of  September,  1784,  aged  48  years  and  six  months. 

66.  [Christopher  Love  (who  was  beheaded  under 
Cromwell)  prophesied  that  "  Out  of  thee,  0  Eng- 
land, shall  a  bright  star  arise,  whose  light  and 
voice  shall  make  the  heavens  quake  and  knock 
under  with  submission  to  the  blessed  Jesus."  To 
whom  could  this  apply,  if  not  to  the  Divine  light 
and  work  of  Mother  Ann  ?] 

67.  Mother  Ann,  being  inquired  of,  by  Joseph 
Meacham,  as  to  how  it  was  that  she,  being  a 
woman,  taught  in  tlie  Church,  and  was  even  the 
Head  of  it,  replied :  "  The  order  of  God  in  the 
natural  creation  is  a  figure  of  the  order  of  God  in 
the  spiritual  creation. 


146         SHAKERS  AND  SHAKEEISM. 

68.  "As  in  nature  it  requires  a  man  and  a 
woman  to  produce  clnldren,  the  man  is  first  and 
the  woman  second  in  the  government  of  the  family ; 
he  is  the  father,  and  she  the  mother ;  and  the  male 
and  female  children  must  be  subject  to  their 
parents,  and  the  woman  subject  to  her  husband, 
who  is  the  first  /  and  when  the  man  is  gone,  the 
right  of  government  does  not  belong  to  the  chil- 
dren, but  to  the  %ooman :  so  is  the  family  of 
Christy 

69.  Temporal  economy  she  inculcated  thus : 
"  You  must  be  prudent  and  saving  of  every  good 
thing  that  God  blesses  you  with,  that  you  may 
have  to  give  to  the  needy.  You  could  not  make 
either  a  kernel  of  grain  or  a  spear  of  grass  grow, 
if  you  knew  3^ou  must  die  for  the  want  of  it." 

70.  "  The  Gospel  [she  saidj  is  the  greatest 
treasure  that  souls  can  possess.  Be  faithful ;  put 
your  hands  to  work  and  your  hearts  to  God.  Be- 
ware of  covetousness,  which  is  as  the  sin  of  witch- 
craft. If  you  have  anything  to  spare,  give  it  to 
the  poor." 

71.  At  another  time,  in  addressing  a  company 


r 


ax:n^  lee.  147 

of  Believers,  she  said :  "  It  is  now  spring  of  the 
year,  and  you  have  all  had  the  privilege  of  being 
taught  the  "way  of  God ;  now  you  may  all  go  home, 
and  be  faithful  with  your  hands.  Every  faithful 
man  will  go  and  put  up  his  fences  in  season,  and 
will  plow  his  ground  in  season,  and  will  put  his 
crops  into  the  ground  in  season.  Such  a  man  may 
with  confidence  look  for  a  blessing. 

72.  "  But  the  slothful  and  indolent  will  say : 
To-morrovj  will  do  as  well,  and  to-morrow  will 
do  as  yjell.  Such  a  man  never  finds  a  blessing ; 
or,  if  he  get  anything,  it  is  afterwards,  and  there 
seems  to  be  no  blessing  in  it.  Just  so  he  is  in 
spiritual  things.  He  will  be  slothful  in  the  work 
of  God,  and  will  reap  his  reward.  He  that  is  un- 
faithful in  the  unrighteous  mammon,  how  can  he  be 
trusted  with  the  true  riches  ?" 

73.  To  a  sister  she  said  :  *'  Be  faithful  to  keep 
the  Gospel;  be  neat  and  industrious;  keep  your 
family's  clothes  clean  and  decent.  See  that  your 
house  is  kept  clean,  and  j'our  victuals  prepared  in 
good  order  ;  that  when  the  brethren  come  home 
from  their  hard  work,  they  may  bless  you,  and  eat 


148         SHAKEES  AND  SHAKEEISM. 

tlieir  food  with  thankfulness,  without  murmuring, 
and  be  able  to  worship  God  in  the  beauty  of  holi- 
ness. Watch,  and  be  careful ;  don't  speak  harsh- 
1}^,  nor  cast  reflections  upon  them.  Let  your  words 
be  few,  and  seasoned  with  grace." 

Y4.  To  another  sister  she  said  :  "  You  must 
remember  the  poor  and  needy,  the  widow  and  the 
fatherless ;  and  deal  out  your  bread  to  the  hungry, 
and  your  clothes  to  the  naked.  Your  natures  will 
say,  They  may  work,  and  get  these  things  for 
themselves.  But  Clirist  said,  ^  Gim  to  him  that 
asheth.^ 

75.  ''  You  must  put  away  your  covetousness, 
your  lust,  and  your  filthiness,  and  be  prepared  for 
the  increase  of  the  Gospel.  For  the  time  will 
come  when  this  Gospel  will  be  preached  to  all  na- 
tions, and  many  will  flock  to  Zion  to  hear  the 
Word  of  the  Lord.  Remember  the  cries  of  those 
who  are  in  need  and  trouble,  that  when  you  are  in 
trouble  God  may  hear  j^our  cries.'' 

T6.  To  other  sisters  she  said  :  "  Little  children 
are  innocent,  and  they  should  never  be  brought  out 
of  it.     If  brought  up  in  simplicity,   they  would 


ANX   LEE.  149 

receive  good  as  easy  as  evil.  Do  not  blame  them 
for  every  little  fault.  Teach  them  obedience ;  let 
your  word  be  law.  Never  speak  to  them  in  a  pas- 
sion ;  it  will  put  devils  into  them.  When  I  was  a 
child  my  mind  was  taken  up  with  things  of  God, 
so  that  I  sav/  heavenly  visions  instead  of  trifling 
toys.  Do  all  3'our  work  as  though  you  had  a  thou- 
sand years  to  live,  and  as  though  you  were  going 
to  die  to-morrow." 

77.  Of  herself,  Mother  Ann  said  :  "  Once  my 
feet  walked  in  forbidden  paths ;  my  hands  handled 
unclean  things ;  and  my  eyes  saw  nothing  of  God 
aright.  Now  my  eyes  see,  my  ears  hear,  and  my  * 
hands  handle  the  Word  of  life."  To  some  she 
said :  "  You  never  can  enter  the  kingdom  of  God 
with  hard  feelings  against  any  one.  For  God  is 
love ;  and  if  you  love  God,  you  will  love  one 
another." 

78.  In  addressing  an  assembly  of  Believers,  at 
Watcrvliet,  shortly  after  her  return  from  Pough- 
keepsie,  she  spoke  as  follows  :  "  You  are  called  in 
relation  to  all  the  rest  of  mankind  ;  and  through 
your  faith  and  obedience   they  must  receive  the 


i 


150  SHAKEES    AND    SlIAKEEISM. 

Gospel.  Pain  and  sufferings  will  never  cease  in 
the  Church  until  all  souls  have  heard  the  Gospel 
of  salvation  ;  for  this  Gospel  will  be  freely  offered 
to  all  souls,  and  will  be  the  savor  of  life  unto  life, 
or  of  death  unto  death. 

79.  "  The  increase  of  the  Gospel,  at  first,  will 
be  small ;  but  the  time  will  come  when  souls  will 
embrace  it  by  hundreds  and  by  thousands ;  for  this 
testimony  will  overcome  all  nations.  It  will  in- 
crease till  the  covering  is  taken  off;  then  man- 
kind will  see  the  rottenness  of  antichrist's  founda- 
tion ;  then  those  souls  that  are  bound  in  their  sins 

*  will  call  to  the  rocks  and  to  the  mountains  to 
cover  them.  But  the  saints  will  never  be  over- 
come again  by  the  beastly  power  of  antichrist. 

80.  "  The  work  of  God,  in  this  day,  is  an  in- 
ward, spiritual  work.  It  is  not  so  great  in  out- 
loarcl  appearance  as  it  was  in  past  Dispensations  ; 
therefore  souls  must  be  very  cautious  how  they  treat 
this  Gospel.  For  such  as  finally  reject  the  testi- 
mony thereof  in  this  world,  will  not  have  another 
day"  equal  to  this  ;  nor  until  an  offer  of  the  Gospel 
shall  have  been  made  to  the  entire  race  of  Adam. 


ANN   LEE.  151 

81.  Those  who  obey  the  Gospel  on  earth,  taking 
up  their  cross  as  Jesus  did,  "  stand  with  him  on 
Mount  Zion,"  being  of  "the hundred  and  forty-four 
thousand  :"  these  are  in  the  first  resurrection ; 
while  those  who  receive  and  obey  the  Gospel  in 
their  disembodied  state  constitute  the  second  fruits. 
This  class  is  thus  noticed  by  the  Revclator  (Rev. 
vii.  9) :  "  After  this,  I  beheld,  and  lo,  a  great 
multitude,  which  no  man  could  number,  of  all  na- 
tions, and  kindreds,  and  people,  and  tongues,  stood 
before  the  throne,  and  before  the  Lamb,  clothed 
with  white  robes  [righteousness],  and  palms  [vic- 
tories they  had  gained]  in  their  hands." 

82.  These  "  cried,  with  a  loud  voice.  Salvation 
to  our  God."  And  the  question  being  asked, 
**What  are  these  which  are  arrayed  in  white 
robes'?  and  whence  came  they?"  the  answer  was  : 
"  These  are  they  which  came  out  of  great  tribula- 
tion, and  have  washed  their  robes,  and  made  them 
white  in  the  blood  [or  by  living  the  life]  of  the 
Lamb"  in  the  spirit-world. 

83.  Mother  Ann  said  :  "  All  souls  will  have  an 
offer  of  the  Gospel  in  this  world,  or  in  the  world 


152  SHAKERS    AND    SHAKEKISM. 

of  spirits."  And  she  added:  "You  have  your 
day  now.  You  can,  by  obedience,  travel  out  of 
your  loss,  by  taking  up  the  cross  that  Jesus  did. 
But  souls  in  the  world  of  spirits  have  to  travel 
through  Bufferings,  passing  from  prison  to  prison, 
until  they  find  the  mercy  of  God." 

84.  Disembodied  souls  are  saved  through  suffer- 
ings, and  by  the  labors  of  the  "  kings  and  priests 
unto  God  and  the  Lamb,"  who  had  followed  the 
example  of  Jesus  in  the  earth-life.  And  as  Jesus 
"  preached  to  the  spirits  in  prison,"  so  such,  like 
him,  are  "  baptized  for  the  dead."  (See  1  Cor. 
XV.  29.) 

85.  Mother  Ann  also  said  :  ''  Those  who  volun- 
tarily take  up  their  crosses  in  this  world,  and 
faithfully  endure  to  the  end,  will  be  more  bright 
and  glorious  than  any  others.  They  will  be  the 
'  kings  and  priests  unto  God.'  " 

86.  On  a  certain  occasion  she  said :  "  Put  not 
your  trust  in  any  man  or  woman,  but  in  the  power 
and  gift  of  God."  Again,  she  said  :  "  The  room 
over  your  head  is  full  of  angels  of  God.  I  see 
them;    and  you  could  see  them   if  you  were  re- 


ANN   LEE.  153 

deemed.  I  look  in  at  the  windows  of  heaven,  and 
see  what  there  is  the  invisible  world.  I  see  the 
angels  of  God,  and  hear  them  sing.  I  see  the 
glories  of  God.  I  see  Ezekiel  Goodrich  flying  from 
one  heaven  to  another."  And,  turning  to  the 
company  present,  she  said,  ''  Go  in,  and  join  his 
resurrection."  She  then  began  to  sing,  and  they 
praised  the  Lord  in  the  dance. 

87.  On  another  occasion  she  said  :  "  The  Apos- 
tles, in  their  day,  saw  as  through  a  glass  darkly ; 
but  we  see  face  to  face,  and  see  things  as  they  are, 
and  converse  with  spirits,  and  see  their  states. 
The  Gospel  is  preached  to  souls  who  have  left  the 
body.  I  see  thousands  of  the  dead  rising,  and 
coming  to  judgment,  now,  at  this  present  time." 

88.  She  also  said :  "  If  there  be  but  one  called 
of  a  generation,  and  that  soul  be  faithful,  it  will 
have  to  travel  and  bear  for  all  its  generation ;  for 
the  world  will  be  redeemed  by  generations."  She 
saw  disembodied  souls  laboring  for  the  power  of 
God,  and  said  that  such  were  in  a  travail. 

89.  One  morning  she  said :  "  Last  night  I  was 
under  sufferings.     A  great  number  of  the  dead 


154  SFATsEBS   Als^D   SHAXERISM. 

came  to  me.  Some  of  them  embraced  the  Gospel : 
others  chose  rather  to  go  to  hell  than  confess  their 
sins.  I  have  seen,  in  \dsion,  beautiful  souls  of 
men  arrayed  in  "white,  all  in  the  resurrection. 
There  is  no  fear  of  their  going  back.  As  for  hell, 
they  have  had  enough  of  it ;  and  come  back  again 
into  this  world  they  can  not.  But  poor  man  in  the 
body  is  always  in  danger. 

90.  "I  have  seen  Jane  in  the  world  of  spirits, 
praising  God  in  the  dance.  I  have  seen  young 
Jonathan  Wood  among  the  dead ;  he  was  like  claps 
of  thunder  among  them,  waking  them  up.  I  have 
been  all  night  with  the  dead.  I  heard  the  arch- 
angel sound  the  trumpet,  and  I  heard  Ezekiel's 
voice  roar  from  one  prison  to  another,  preaching  to 
the  dead ;  and  they  gather  to  him,  and  are  thank- 
ful to  hear  the  Word  of  God.  [This  was  soon 
after  the  decease  of  Ezekiel  Goodrich.]  And  if 
you  do  not  receive  the  Word  of  God  which  is 
spoken  to  you,  the  dead  will ;  for  there  is  not  one 
word  of  God  lost  that  ever  was  spoken." 

91.  Speaking  of  a  particular  person  who  had 
deceased.  Mother  Ann  said  :  "  Since  that  time  he 


A>sN   LEE.  155 

lias  appeared  to  me  again,  and  has  arisen  from  the 
dead,  and  come  into  the  first  heaven,  and  is  travel- 
ling on  to  the  second  and  third  heavens." 

92.  When  any  person  knelt  down  to  JMother 
Ann,  she  "would  say  to  them  :  "  Do  not  kneel  to 
mc  ;  kneel  to  God.    I  am  but  your  fellow-servant." 

93.  Believers  were  not  gathered  into  the  order 
of  community  of  goods  during  the  lifetime  of 
Mother  Ann.  She  said:  "The  time  will  come 
when  the  Church  will  be  gathered  into  order,  but 
not  till  after  my  decease.  Joseph  Meacham  is  my 
first-born  son  in  America :  he  will  gather  the 
Church  into  order,  but  I  shall  not  live  to  see  it." 


CHAPTEK   XII. 

WILLIAM   LEE. 

1.  William  Lee  was  the  fourth  son  of  John 
Lee,  and  the  brother  of  Ann  Lee.  He  was  born 
in  the  year  1740,  in  Manchester,  England.  By 
trade  he  was  a  blacksmith.  He  came  to  America 
with  his  sister  Ann.  He  possessed  uncommon 
physical  strength  and  fortitude  of  mind.  In  his 
religious  faith  and  practice  he  was  zealous  and 
influential,  and  in  times  of  persecution  always  firm 
and  undaunted.     He  knew  not  the  fear  of  man. 

2.  He  was  married,  and  was  an  officer  in  the 
army — the  Oxford  Blues — previous  to  joining  his 
sister  Ann  in  her  new  system  of  religion.  He 
described  himself  as  having  been  a  very  proud, 
haughty   young  man,  fond   of  dress   and   gaiety. 


AVILLIAM    LEE.  157 

But,  under  the  influence  of  his  religious  convic- 
tions, he  forsook  all,  to  be  a  follower  of  his  sister 
Ann,  and  to  her  he  was  an  invaluable  assistant  and 
protector ;  the  scars  from  wounds  received  in  her 
defence  he  carried  to  his  grave. 

3.  At  one  time  his  skull  was  fractured  by  a  blow 
from  an  iron  boat-hook.  Indeed,  his  sufferings  of 
body  and  soul  for  the  Gospel  cause,  as  preached 
and  lived  by  IMother  Ann,  were  such  that  his 
companions  said  that,  "  like  Jesus,  he  was  a  man 
of  sorrows,  and  acquainted  with  grief." 

4.  He  was  richly  endowed  with  spiritual  gifts 
of  visions  and  revelations,  and  many  divine  mani- 
festations ;  he  abounded  in  mercy,  love,  and  charity, 
and  his  powerful  spirit  always  maintained  a  swift 
testimony  against  all  sin. 

5.  He  possessed  a  great  degree  of  thankfulness 
for  common  blessings.  At  one  time  he  said  :  "I 
fear  you  are  not  so  thankful  as  you  ought  to  be  for 
the  good  things  that  God  has  provided  for  you  ; 
but  you  eat  and  drink  of  these  precious  things 
without  considering  from  whence  they  come.  The 
^.in  of  ingratitude  is  a  great  sin — see  that  you  are 


158  SHAKEliS   AND    6HAKEEISM, 

not  guilty  of  it.  I  often  eat  my  food  with  thank- 
fulness and  tears  every  mouthful  I  eat."  He 
manifested  the  same  thankful  spirit  even  for  water, 
whether  to  drink,  or  for  any  other  use. 

6.  To  the  brethren  and  sisters  he  said :  "  You 
ought  to  pass  each  other  like  angels.  I  know  the 
condition  of  souls  that  have  left  the  body.  Where 
I  see  one  soul  in  the  body,  I  see  a  thousand  in  the 
world  of  spirits." 

7.  He  said :  "  War  will  never  cease  until  God 
has  finished  His  work  with  the  nations  of  the  earth. 
And,  although  it  may  be  buried  for  a  season,  yet, 
like  fire,  it  will  break  out  with  sevenfold  increase 
among  the  nations  of  the  earth.  The  same  sword 
that  has  persecuted  the  people  of  God  in  past  ages 
will  be  turned  into  the  world  among  themselves, 
and  it  will  never  be  sheathed  till  it  has  done  its 
work." 

8.  "We  are  poor  [said  he],  but  we  are  able 
to  make  many  rich :  poor  afilicted  people  of  God. 
Once  I  served  God  out  of  fear,  but  now  I  serve 
Him  out  of  love.  I  love  my  Mother.  Although 
she    is    my    sister,    yet    she    has    become    my 


WILLIAM   LEE.  159 

Mother,  and  the  Lord  God  has  made  me  to  love 
her." 

9.  The  gift  of  songs  was  peculiarly  his,  and  he 
had  a  melodious  and  powerful  voice,  and  was  a 
beautiful  and  musical  singer.  He  deceased  July 
21st,  1784,  aged  44  years. 


CHAPTEE   XIII. 

JAMES   WHITTAKER. 

1.  James  Whittaker  -u'as  the  son  of  Jonathan 
Whittaker.  His  mother's  maiden  name  was  Ann 
Lee — probably  a  distant  relation  of  Mother  Ann. 
They  Tvere  members  of  the  Society  under  Jane 
and  James  Wardley,  and  subsequently  embraced 
the  Gospel.  His  father  had  an  anxious  feeling  to 
come  to  America  with  Mother  Ann,  but  was  not 
able.     He  died  in  the  faith. 

2.  James  was  born  February  SSth,  1751,  in 
Oldham,  near  Manchester,  England.  He  received 
the  testimony  of  the  Gospel  in  his  childhood,  and 
used  to  accompany  his  parents  to  the  meetings  of 
Jane  and  James  Wardley,  and  was  faithful  and 
obedient  to  the  instructions  of  his  teachers.  In 
his  youth  he  was  placed  under  the  care  of  Mother 
Ann,  and  by  her  was  carefully  instructed  in  the 


JAilES    WmiTAKKE.  101 

way  of  God.  Having,  by  his  faithfulness,  gained 
a  great  portion  of  the  light  and  power  of  the  Gos- 
pel, he  became  eminently  useful  to  her  in  the 
ministry. 

3.  Concerning  his  early  experience  in  the  way 
of  God,  he  gave  the  following  particulars  :  "  I  was 
brought  up  in  the  way  of  God  by  my  Mother  [Ann], 
and  I  knew  no  unclean  thing.  Yet,  when  my  soul 
was  waked  up,  I  found  myself  a  child  of  wrath. 
I  then  cried  mightily  to  God.  I  do  not  think  I 
spoke  more  than  five  words  in  a  day  ;  and  I  verily 
thought  the  earth  trembled  under  me  for  the 
space  of  a  whole  year.  At  this  time  I  saw,  by 
vision,  my  own  soul  with  Mother's  in  America, 
and  I  heard  all  the  conversation  that  pacsed  be- 
tween us  and  the  men  that  put  us  into  prison  in 
Albany ;  and  yet,  during  the  whole  time  of  my  im- 
prisonment, I  never  once  thought  of  my  vision ;  but 
as  soon  as  we  were  set  at  liberty,  it  all  came  fresh 
to  my  mind." 

4.  Among  other  extraordinary  manifestations  of 
God  to  him,  in  early  life,  are  the  two  following,  in 
his  own  words  :  "  One  day,  as  I  was  walking  with 


162  SHAKEES    AND    SHAKEEISM. 

Mother,  I  felt  the  heavens  open ;  such  flows  of  the 
heavenly  manifestations  and  givings  of  God  fell 
upon  me  in  so  marvelous  a  manner,  that  my  soul 
was  filled  with  inexpressible  glory ;  and  I  felt  such 
an  overflowing  of  love  to  Mother,  that  I  cried  out. 
As  the  Lord  liveth,  and  as  my  soul  liveth,  I  will 
never  leave  thee  nor  forsake  thee.''  He  added 
further  :  "  Mother  then  and  there  prophesied  that 
I  should  succeed  her  in  the  ministry." 

5.  He  said  :  "  When  we  were  in  England,  some 
of  us  had  to  go  twenty  miles  to  meeting.  We 
travelled  a-nights,  on  account  of  the  persecution. 
One  Saturday  night,  while  on  our  journey,  we  sat 
down  by  the  side  of  the  road  to  eat  some  victuals. 
While  I  was  sitting  there  I  saw  a  vision  of  Ameri- 
ca ;  and  I  saw  a  largo  tree,  every  leaf  of  which 
shone  with  such  brightness  as  made  it  appear  like 
a  burning  torch,  representing  the  Church  of  Christ 
which  will  yet  be  established  in  this  land.  After 
my  company  had  refreshed  themselves,  they  trav- 
elled on,  and  led  me  a  considerable  distance  before 
my  vision  ceased." 

6.  In  his  person,  James  was  rather  above  the 


JAMES    WHITTAKEE.  163 

common  stature,  well  proportioned  in  form,  of  more 
than  ordinary  strength,  and  of  great  activity.  His 
complexion  was  fair,  his  eyes  black,  and  his  hair 
was  dark  brown,  and  very  straight.  His  counte- 
nance was  open  and  placid,  with  a  pleasing  gravity 
that  evinced  the  goodness  of  his  heart,  and  the 
amiable  mildness  of  his  disposition.  His  voice 
was  clear  and  solid,  but  mild  and  pleasant.  In 
short,  his  visage,  deportment,  and  conversation 
were  all  marked  with  an  inexpressible  quality, 
which  could  not  but  impress  the  feelings  of  a 
stranger  with  confidence  and  respect.  It  was  not 
uncommon  among  strangers,  on  hearing  him,  to 
say,  "  I  love  to  hear  that  James  Whittaker 
speak." 

T.  In  his  temper  and  disposition  he  was  mild, 
gentle,  and  forbearing,  yet  firm,  undaunted,  and 
inflexible  in  his  duty.  So  amiable  was  his  deport- 
ment, and  so  winning  his  manners,  that  he  often 
disarmed  the  most  violent  opposcrs  of  their  rage. 
He  possessed  much  meekness,  humility,  and  sim- 
plicity of  soul ;  he  was  tender-hearted,  kind,  and 
charitable,  and  abounded  in  heavenly  love.     The 


164:  SHAKEKS    AKD    SHAI^JEKISM. 

sympathetic  powers  of  his  soul  were  such  that, 
when  he  wept,  it  seemed  as  though  no  feeling  heart 
could  refrain  from  tears ;  and  when  he  rejoiced, 
every  soul  that  possessed  the  life  of  the  Gospel 
could  not  but  feel  the  power  of  his  joy,  and  rejoice 
with  him. 

8.  In  reproving  sin  he  was  sharp  and  powerful, 
yet  wise  and  careful  not  to  hurt  the  soul.  In 
laboring  w^ith  souls,  in  admonishing  the  careless, 
instructing  the  ignorant,  strengthening  the  weak, 
and  binding  up  the  broken-hearted,  he  evidenced 
much  wisdom.  He  knew  how  to  come  to  souls  in 
every  situation,  and  to  administer  help  in  due 
season. 

9.  He  passed  through  many  scenes  of  sorrow 
and  affliction  for  the  Gospel  of  salvation,  and 
planted  and  nourished  it  in  many  souls.  Being 
young  while  in  England,  he  did  not  suifer  so  much 
persecution  there  as  did  Mother  Ann  and  Father 
William  and  others ;  yet  he  had  his  full  share  of 
sufferings  to  pass  through,  so  that  it  might  be  truly 
said^the  sufferings  of  Christ  aljounded  in  him. 

10.  In  America  he  suffered   much  every  way; 


JAXE3  '^hittaxe:r.  165 

yet  he  always  bore  liis  sufterings  with  fortitude, 
and  even  with  cheerfulness  ;  so  that,  when  most 
cruelly  abused  by  persecutors,  he  would  often  kneel 
down  and  pray  for  them  with  great  fervency,  some- 
times in  the  words  of  Christ,  saying,  "  Father,  for- 
give them,  for  they  know  not  what  they  do." 

11.  As  he  was  brought  up  in  the  Gospel  from 
his  childhood,  he  possessed  a  great  degree  of  purity 
of  spirit.  Indeed,  it  seemed  as  though  every  feel- 
ing of  his  soul  breathed  purity,  righteousness,  and 
love ;  hence  he  was  at  all  times  able  to  bear  a 
strong  testimony  against  all  impurity,  unrighteous- 
ness, and  every  kind  of  evil.  He  often  said, 
"  The  Gospel  is  without  fault ;  it  is  as  straight  as 
straightness  ;  it  is  pure  as  the  heavens  ;  and  if  you 
do  not  obey  it,  you  will  lose  your  souls." 

12.  With  tears  rolling  from  his  eyes,  he  fre- 
quently expressed  his  love  to  God,  and  his  thank- 
fulness for  the  Gospel,  in  the  following  language : 
"  0  how  precious  is  the  way  of  God  to  my  thirsty 
soul !  I  feel  the  love  of  God  continually  flowing 
into  my  soul,  like  rivers  of  living  water  !  It  is 
sweeter  to  my  taste  than  honey  in  the  honey-comb  ' 


166  SHAKEES   AND   SHAKESISM. 

I  know  that  God  owns  me  for  his  son,  and  yet  I 
will  pray  to  Him.  I  knovr  how  to  pray,  and  I 
know  how  to  be  thankful  for  the  Gospel.  Even 
my  breath  is  continual  prayer  to  God." 

13.  He  used  to  say  :  "  I  could  willingly  lay 
down  my  life  for  my  brethren,  if  I  were  called  to 
it ;  for  I  feel  that  degree  of  love  for  them,  that 
they  are  near  and  dear  to  me  like  my  own  soul. 
My  only  treasure  upon  earth  is  in  them  that  be- 
lieve. I  have  no  relation  except  in  the  people  of 
God.  They  who  are  faithful  to  serve  God  are  my 
relations ;  they  are  my  interest  and  my  treasure, 
and  all  I  have  is  theirs." 

14.  Some  individuals,  who  had  great  faith  in 
Mother  Ann,  and  vrere  zealous  during  her  minis- 
tration, suffered  great  loss  after  she  was  taken 
from  them ;  for  their  faith  centred  in  her  person, 
and  not  in  the  revelation  and  power  of  God  which 
dwelt  in  her,  and  which  was  transmitted  through 
her  to  her  successors.  Father  James  felt  a  deep 
sense  of  their  danger  from  this  source  ;  and  being 
impressed  with  the  unspeakable  worth  of  souls,  and 
the  great  importance  of  a  deep  and  genuine  work 


JA3IES   WniTTAKEE.  167 

of  salvation  in  every  soul,  he  clicl  not  cease  to  warn 
the  people,  with  many  tears,  to  be  faithful  and 
persevering,  so  as  not  to  lose  that  which  they  had 
already  gained,  by  neglecting  to  labor  for  an  in- 
crease of  the  Gospel  in  their  own  souls. 

15.  In  solemn  warnings  to  the  people,  and  for 
their  encouragement,  he  used  to  say :  "  Wherever 
you  are,  whatever  may  betide  you,  how  dark 
soever  things  may  appear,  how  unjustly  soever  you 
may  suffer,  keep  your  faith ;  for  the  time  will  come 
when  all  wrongs  will  be  righted,  and  every  one  will 
receive  a  just  reward.  I  am  not  ashamed  to  build 
up  your  faith  ;  for  3'Our  faith  is  most  holy.  But  I 
know  you  have  infirmities,  and  I  pray  that  the  for- 
bearance of  God  may  be  lengthened  out  to  you, 
till  you  learn  to  do  right ;  for  you  must  have  an 
exceeding  righteousness ;  your  righteousness  must 
exceed  the  righteousness  of  the  scribes  and  phari- 
sees.  Therefore,  preserve  within  your  hearts  that 
holy  treasure  which  will  keep  you  in  time  of  trouble. 
Keep  your  faith ;  for  the  end  of  your  faith  will  be 
the  salvation  of  your  souls.  When  I  am  gone, 
and  you  see  the  branches  grow  and  flourish,  then 


168  SHAKEKS    AND    SHAE:EEISM. 

knoYf  ye  that  the  root  is  holy.  I  have  ventured 
my  life  and  soul  among  you,  and  you  have  received 
the  Gospel,  and  you  are  "U'elcome  to  it." 

16.  Father  James,  in  seasons  of  Divine  wor- 
ship, often  publicly  abased  himself  before  God,  in 
deep  humiliation  of  soul.  One  Sabbath  day,  at 
Harvard,  he  addressed  a  large  concourse  of  persons 
with  great  solemnity,  and  evidently  under  a  great 
weight  of  the  power  of  God,  which  brought  a  very 
solemn  and  affecting  sensation  upon  the  whole 
assembly.  He  then  knelt  down,  and  the  Believers 
immediately  fell  upon  their  knees,  and  many  other 
persons,  who  were  deeply  affected  with  his  dis- 
course, did  the  same.  While  thus  on  his  knees, 
in  profound  humiliation,  he  uttered  these  words : 
"I  am  but  a  poor  worm  of  the  dust,  and  a  very 
little  one,  too.  I  feel  oftentimes  as  though  I  could 
crumble  into  the  dust  before  God."  He  often 
abased  himself  in  this  manner. 

IT.  At  another  time,  in  a  public  assembly,  at 
Enfield,  before  he  began  to  speak,  he  knelt  down, 
and,  in  tribulation  of  spirit,  said :  "  God  has 
committed  the  Gospel  to  my  trust."     He  paused, 


JAMES   WHITTAKEE.  169 

while  the  tears  flowed  plentifully  down  his  cheeks. 
He  then  proceeded  :  "  I  pray  that  God  would  lay 
nothing  to  my  charge.  Christ  is  revealed.  I  feel 
his  power  in  sorrow  and  in  love.  God  has  blessed 
me  with  a  broken  heart  and  godly  sorrow  for  sin." 
After  this  he  delivered  a  very  affecting  discourse, 
in  which  he  preached  the  Gospel  of  self-denial  and 
the  cross,  and  urged  the  absolute  necessity  of  con- 
fessing and  forsaking  all  sin,  and  concluded  in 
these  words :  "  As  you  treat  this  Gospel,  so  God 
will  treat  you.  If  you  slight  it,  God  will  slight 
you ;  if  you  regard  it,  God  will  regard  you.  For, 
as  the  testimony  of  Noah  condemned  the  old  world, 
so  shall  this  testimony  condemn  the  present  gene- 
ration." 

18.  Father  James  often  solemnly  warned  Be- 
lievers not  to  suffer  themselves  to  be  overshadowed 
and  darkened  with  those  things  which  have  a  tend- 
ency to  shut  the  gift  of  God  from  the  soul.  "  I 
warn  you,  brethren,"  said  he,  "  not  to  be  overcome 
with  the  cares  of  this  world,  lest  your  souls  lose 
the  power  of  God,  and  you  become  lean  and  bar- 
ren."    "The  way  to  labor  for  the  Gospel  is  to 


170  SHAKEKS   AXD   gHAKESISM. 

keep  your  minds  exercised  in  laboring  upon  the 
things  that  belong  to  your  peace,  and  not  on  the 
things  of  the  world ;  for  if  you  give  your  minds  to 
labor  upon  the  things  of  the  world,  they  will  be- 
come corrupted."  "You  ought  to  be  watchful 
over  your  words  at  all  times,  and  be  careful  to 
know  that  you  speak  the  truth ;  and  not  tell  things 
you  do  not  know  to  be  true,  in  such  a  manner  as  to 
deceive  others.  You  ought  to  represent  things  as 
they  are,  and  not  deceive  one  another :  it  is  lying ; 
it  is  wicked." 

19.  He  used  often  to  say  :  "  Be  what  you  seem 
to  be,  and  seem  to  be  what  you  really  are.  Don't 
carry  two  faces.  You  that  dare  use  deceit,  remem- 
ber what  I  say  :  God  will  yet  meet  you  in  a  strait 
place."  In  reproving  Believers,  he  used  to  say : 
"  If  you  don't  love  to  hear  of  these  things,  then 
leave  them  off.  Put  away  the  cause,  and  the  effect 
will  cease.  I  will  know  no  man  by  his  speech, 
but  by  the  fruit  he  brings  forth.  Ye  who  have 
believed  in  God,  be  careful  to  maintain  good 
works." 

20.  In  the  time  of  Shay's  insurrection  in  Mas- 


ja:me3  whittaxek.  171 

sachusetts,  some  of  the  Believers,  in  expressing 
their  sentiments,  manifested  some  party  feelings 
concerning  that  event ;  but  Father  James  rebuked 
that  spirit,  and  said :  "  They  who  give  way  to  a 
party  spirit,  and  are  influenced  by  the  divisions 
and  contentions  of  the  world,  so  as  to  feel  for  one 
political  party  more  than  for  another,  have  no  part 
with  me.  The  spirit  of  party  is  the  spirit  of  the 
world ;  and  whoever  indulges  in  it,  and  unites  with 
one  evil  spirit  against  another,  is  off  from  Chris- 
tian ground." 

21.  In  addressing  a  public  assembly  of  Believers 
at  Ashfield,  he  said  :  "  You  ought  to  fear  God  in 
all  you  do.  When  you  are  about  your  work,  you 
ought  to  fear  God.  And  even  in  the  gifts  of  God, 
and  under  the  operations  of  the  power  of  God,  you 
ought  to  keep  the  fear  of  God,  lest,  by  feeling  re- 
leasement  in  those  gifts,  you  run  into  lightness. 
There  are  many  pious  souls  in  this  world,  who  live 
up  to  the  best  light  they  know,  that  have  never, 
heard  the  sound  of  this  Gospel ;  but,  except  your 
righteousness  shall  exceed  theirs,  you  will  in  no- 
wise enter  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven.     Heaven 


172        SHAKERS  AND  SHAKEEISM. 

is  a  place  of  joy  and  tranquillity  to  those  who  find 
it.  But  I  am  jealous,  and  with  a  godly  jealousy, 
too,  that  there  are  some  here  that  never  -will  find 
it."  He  further  said  :  "  Those  who  are  called  by 
the  Gospel  when  they  are  children,  and  are  faith- 
ful and  obedient,  and  keep  out  of  sin,  will  be  the 
flower  of  heaven  and  the  glory  of  paradise." 

22.  One  Sabbath  day,  at  Harvard,  when  the 
Believers  were  assembled  together  for  worship,  and 
were  all  sitting  in  profound  silence.  Father  James, 
under  a  solemn  weight  of  the  power  of  God, 
suddenly  raised  both  his  hands,  and  exclaimed : 
"  Heavens  !  heavens  !  heavens  !"  and  instantly  the 
house  was  shaken,  and  the  casements  clattered,  as 
though  the  house  had  been  shaken  by  a  mighty 
earthquake.  At  another  time,  under  a  similar 
spiritual  impression,  he  uttered  the  words,  "  Peace ! 
peace  !  peace  !  What  peace  I  feel !  The  peace 
of  the  Gospel  is  worth  more  than  all  the  treasures 
of  this  world." 

23.  One  day  he  was  speaking  respecting  the 
privilege  and  call  of  Believers  to  rise  out  of  the 
generative  order,  with  all  its  animal,  selfish  ties 


.T.iMES    WHIITAKER.  173 

and  relations,  and  he  said  :  "  I  hate  these  things, 
as  I  hate  the  smoke  of  the  bottomless  pit.  And, 
in  lieu  thereof,  I  behold  in  open  vision  the  angelic 
hosts,  and  join  in  their  melodious  songs  of  praise 
and  adoration." 

24.  One  evening,  in  meeting,  he  said :  "  I  should 
be  glad  to  speak  a  few  words,  though  I  would  not 
speak  anything  that  is  too  hard  for  you  to  under- 
stand. 

25.  "I  believe  I  was  six  hours,  last  night,  in 
the  belly  of  hell !  Indeed,  I  know  I  was ;  and  I 
preached  to  the  spirits  in  prison.  I  never  knew 
until  then  what  that  passage  of  Scripture  signifies, 
which  says,  '  One  day  with  the  Lord  is  as  a  thou- 
sand years,  and  a  thousand  years  as  one  day.' 
But  now,  by  what  I  have  seen  and  felt,  I  can  tes- 
tify that,  to  a  soul  that  has  been  in  hell  but  one 
day^  it  appears  like  a  thousand  years.  For  the 
horrors  of  souls  in  hell  are  so  extreme,  and  their 
banishment  from  God  so  great,  that  they  can  not 
measure  time.  It  is  called  the  bottomless  pit,  and 
souls  in  it  feel  themselves  sinking  further  and  fur- 
ther from  God ;  and  what  still  increases  their  tor- 


lT:t  8HAKEES    AND    SHAKERISM. 

ment  is,  the}^  can  see  no  T\'ay  out.  If  a  man  should 
live  to  the  age  of  Methuselah,  and  go  through  all 
the  miseries  of  this  life,  it  could  not  be  compared 
to  one  day  in  hell.  Vvlien  I  saw  the  state  of  the 
damned,  I  shuddered  at  the  awful  prospect. 

26.  "If  you  will  take  up  your  crosses  against 
the  work  of  generation,  and  will  follow  Christ 
Jesus  in  the  regeneration,  God  will  cleanse  you 
from  all  unrighteousness.  Men  and  women  in  this 
vrorld  can  please  themselves  by  fleshly  gratifica- 
tions ;  and,  if  they  do  not  overcome  their  passions 
by  the  Gospel,  they  carry  them  with  them  into  the 
world  of  spirits.  Death  does  not  destroy  those 
passions,  nor  make  them  less  powerful.  But  souls 
in  hell  feel  their  lustful  passions  rise  a  thousand 
times  stronger  in  them  than  when  in  this  world ; 
yet  they  can  find  no  way  by  which  to  gratify 
them ;  therefore  their  lust  is  their  torment,  and  it 
torments  them  in  proportion  to  its  rage.  They 
also  feel  the  wrath  of  God  against  that  filthy 
nature,  and  this  is  still  a  greater  torment  to  them. 

27.  "  I  see,  in  open  vision,  souls  in  hell,  under 
torment  for  their  sins,  which  (were  they  in  the 


JAMES  ^^^rrTAKEE.  175 

body)  would  be  enough  to  take  away  their  natural 
lives. 

28.  "  Souls  that  go  out  of  this  world,  who  have 
not  heard  the  Gospel,  do  not  know  God,  nor  where 
to  find  Him.  I  have  seen  them  wandering  about, 
trying  to  find  God,  weeping  and  crying  until,  to 
appearance,  they  had  worn  gutters  in- their  cheeks. 
All  souls  will  be  judged  by  the  testimony  of  the 
Gospel,  which  you  now  hear." 

29.  About  the  middle  of  January,  1T8T,  Father 
James,  having  assembled  the  Believers  in  New 
Lebanon  together  in  the  meeting-house,  came  in 
under  great  heaviness  of  spirit,  and,  with  tears 
flowing  copiously,  said  :  "  I  am  going  to  leave  you. 
I  feel  that  my  work  is  done  here,  and  I  do  not 
know  that  I  shall  ever  see  you  again  in  this  world ; 
but  I  leave  those  with  you  who  are  able  to  teach 
you  the  way  of  God.  I  desire  that  you  would 
treasure  up  the  Gospel,  and  make  it  ^ur  only 
interest.  You  are  all  the  interest  I  have  in  this 
world.     I  have  no  other  interest." 

30.  He  then  knelt  down,  and  wept  exceedingly. 
All  the  assembly  knelt  with  him.     After  rising,  he 


176  SHAKEES   AND   SHAKEEISM. 

warned  the  people,  in  a  very  feeling  and  affecting 
address,  to  be  faithful,  and  keep  the  way  of  God, 
when  he  was  gone,  saying :  "  We  have  given  you 
the  Gospel ;  see  to  it  that  you  make  a  good  use  of 
it.  Do  abide  faithful.  Those  of  you  who  abide 
faithful  will  be  like  a  bud  in  the  bloom ;  but  those 
who  do  not  abide  will  be  like  a  falling  leaf ;  and 
you  will  remember  these  words  when  you  can  not 
see  me." 

31.  He  then  addressed  the  elders  and  laborers 
among  the  people,  and  gave  them  a  very  solemn 
charge  to  be  faithful  and  watch  over  the  people  for 
their  protection.  Said  he  :  "  Deal  with  the  breth- 
ren and  sisters  as  I  have  dealt  with  you."  He 
also  warned  them  in  a  very  special  manner  con- 
cerning the  youth  and  children,  saying :  "  You  must 
take  care  of  the  rising  generation ;  for,  if  they  are 
protected,  the  time  will  come  when  they  will  be  the 
flower  of  the  people  of  God." 

32.  The  next  morning,  he  set  off  for  Enfield,  in 
Connecticut,  from  whence  he  never  returned. 
After  tarrying  a  short  time  there,  he  visited  the 
Believers  at  Harvard,  Shirley,  Woburn,  and  other 


JAMES    WHITTAKEK.  177 

places,  where  they  then  resided,  and  returned  to 
Enfield  in  March,  where  he  remained,  and  was 
continually  visited  by  Believers  till  his  decease. 

33.  Father  James's  ministry  was  short,  but  very 
active  and  laborious.  He  visited  all  the  dij0ferent 
places  in  the  land  where  the  Gospel  had  been 
planted — some  of  them  several  times.  His  labors 
were  continually  employed  in  strengthening  the 
weak,  comforting  the  afflicted,  and  purging  out  sin. 
It  was  the  peculiar  gift  of  his  ministry  to  wean  the 
affections  of  Believers  from  their  natural  and 
earthly  ties,  and  prepare  them  for  a  spiritual  rela- 
tion in  Church  order,  which  he  foretold  was  at 
hand,  and  often  spoke  of  it.  His  instructions  to 
Elder  Joseph  Meacham  and  those  with  him,  rela- 
tive to  gathering,  building,  and  establishing  the 
Church  in  Gospel  order,  might  with  great  propriety 
be  likened  to  the  instructions  of  David  to  Solomon, 
concerning  the  building  of  the  temple,  which  was 
an  eminent  type  of  this  very  work. 

34.  Many  were  the  instructions,  exhortations, 
and  solemn  warnings  that  Father  James  delivered 
in  the  last  days  of  his  ministry.     When  he  came 

12 


178         SHAKERS  AND  SHAKEEISM. 

near  the  close  of  his  life  he  said :  "  I  have  given 
you  my  life  ;  all  I  have  I  have  given  to  you.  If  I 
ever  had  anything,  you  possess  it — it  is  yours ; 
now  see  that  you  make  a  good  use  of  it."  About 
a  fortnight  before  his  decease,  he  said  :  "  My  body 
is  under  great  sufferings,  but  I  feel  my  soul  at 
peace  with  God  and  man.  I  have  given  you  the 
Gospel ;  now  see  to  it  what  kind  of  use  you  make 
of  it.  If  3^ou  keep  the  Gospel,  the  Gospel  will 
keep  you.  I  have  given  my  life  for  the  people. 
After  I  am  gone  there  will  be  a  great  increase." 

35.  A  little  before  his  decease,  a  number  of 
brethren  and  sisters  came  from  New  Lebanon  to  see 
him ;  and,  when  about  to  return  home,  they  went 
*  into  his  room  to  take  their  leave  of  him.  On  enter- 
ing his  room,  they  all  knelt  down  in  sorrow  and 
tears,  and  in  prayer  to  God,  feeling  sensible  that 
this  would  be  the  last  time  they  should  see  him  in 
this  world.  He  addressed  them  as  follows :  "I 
feel  thankful  to  see  you  all,  and  that  you  have 
come  to  see  me  in  my  sickness  once  more,  before  I 
leave  the  world.  I  feel  weak  in  body,  but  comfort- 
able in  my  spirit ;  and,  whether  I  live  or  die,  the 


JAMES    WHITTAKEE.  179 

Gospel  will  increase.  I  have  had  a  great  desire  to 
come  and  see  you  all,  but  I  have  not  been  able. 
But  my  heart  has  been  with  you ;  and  now  your 
hearts  must  be  with  me,  to  labor  for  the  power  of 
God — for  one  union.  I  desire  you  would  give  my 
love  to  the  people  where  you  go,  and  tell  them  that 
I  am  alive,  and  that  I  never  expect  to  die ;  for  the 
sting  of  death  is  taken  from  me,  and  all  fear  and 
terror ;  yet  I  expect  soon  to  put  ojBf  this  earthly 
tabernacle.     Farewell." 

36.  When  he  was  dying,  a  number  of  the 
brethren  and  sisters  went  to  see  him.  On  inquir- 
ing how  he  felt,  he  said :  "  My  sufferings  are  ex- 
ceedingly great ;  but  that  peace  and  consolation 
that  I  feel  in  the  Gospel  I  would  not  exchange  for 
a  thousand  such  worlds  as  this."  He  then  exhort- 
ed all  to  hold  on,  and  to  hold  out  to  the  end,  and 
said :  ''If  you  hold  out  to  the  end,  you  will  feel 
that  peace  which  I  feel." 

37.  Thus  he  continued  to  exhort,  strengthen, 
and  encourage  all  around  him  till  he  expired,  July 
20th,  1787,  in  the  37th  year  of  his  age.  His 
faneral  was  attended  on  the  following  day.     The 


180         SHAKERS  AND  SHAKEKISM. 

scene  was  very  affecting  to  all  the  Believers,  who 
viewed  him  as  their  Elder  and  Father,  and  the 
last  of  those  faithful  ministers  of  Christ  who 
brought  the  Gospel  of  salvation  to  this  land,  and 
who  had  been  called  to  stand  in  the  Ministry. 


CHAPTER   XIV. 

JOHN   HOCKNELL. 

1.  John  Hocknell  was  a  native  of  Cheshire, 
in  England,  a  man  of  respectable  character,  and 
possessed  considerable  property.  He  formerly  be- 
longed to  the  Methodist  Society,  but  afterwards  he 
became  a  zealous  member  of  the  Society  under 
Jane  and  James  Wardley,  and  readily  embraced 
the  increasing  light  through  Mother  Ann,  and  be- 
came a  faithful  Believer. 

2.  He  was  a  man  of  very  meek  deportment,  and 
was  greatly  gifted  in  visions  and  prophecies ;  he 
also  possessed  the  gift  of  healing.  He  was  a  great 
help  to  Mother  Ann  and  her  little  family,  in  a 
temporal  view,  and  was  very  zealous  in  the  support 
of  the  Gospel.  It  was  through  his  instrumentality 
that  they  were  enabled  to  cross  the  ocean,  and 


182         SHAKERS  AND  SHAKEEISM. 

establish  themselves  in  this  land.  Indeed,  the 
temporal  assistance  which  his  zeal  and  liberality 
afforded  the  Society,  in  its  infant  state,  was  its 
principal  dependence.  He  was  a  very  honest,  con- 
scientious, and  upright  man,  and  continued  faithful 
and  zealous  during  life.  He  saw  the  Church 
established  in  Gospel  order,  and  with  great  joy 
saw  its  growing  prosperity  in  things  temporal  and 
spiritual.  He  departed  this  life  Feb.  27,  1799, 
aged  76  years. 


CHAPTER   XV. 

JOSEPH    MEACHAM   AND    LUCY   WRIGHT. 

1.  Joseph  Meacham  and  Lucy  Wright  were 
among  the  first  of  those  in  America  who  received 
faith  in  the  religious  principles  of  Shakerism. 
Upon  them  the  leadership  and  government  of  the 
people  (Shakers)  devolved.  Under  their  adminis- 
tration it  was  that  the  principles  in  regard  to 
property  and  order  in  general  were  fully  carried 
out  and  established. 

2.  They  gradually  gathered  the  people  from 
their  scattered  condition  into  families,  having  their 
property  in  common.  Orders,  rules,  and  regula- 
tions, in  temporal  and  spiritual  things,  were  framed, 
appropriate  to  the  new  relations  they  were  then 
coming  into  as  a  body  of  people.  Elders  and 
deacons  of  both  sexes  were  appointed,  and  set  in 


184  SHAKF.R8   AND   SHAKEEISM. 

their  proper  order;  and  a  Covenant  was  written 
and  entered  into  for  the  mutual  understanding  and 
protection  of  the  members. 

3.  The  Society  at  New  Lebanon  was  the  first 
that  was  organizedj  and  is  the  center  of  union  to 
all  the  other  societies.  Yet  the  immediate  duties 
of  the  Ministry  (who  are  the  Elders  of  the  elders) 
extend  only  to  the  two  societies  of  New  Lebanon 
and  Walervliet.  The  other  societies  are  under 
the  direction  of  Ministries  appointed  to  preside 
over  them.  In  most  instances,  two  or  three  socie- 
ties constitute  a  bishopric,  being  united  under  the 
superintendence  of  the  same  Ministry. 

4.  Joseph  Meacham  was  born  at  Enfield,  Conn., 
on  the  22d  of  February,  1742,  and  deceased  on 
the  16th  of  August,  1796. 

5.  Lucy  Wright  succeeded  Joseph  Meacham  in 
the  lead  of  the  Society.  During  her  administra- 
tion, the  several  societies  in  the  States  of  Ohio  and 
Kentucky  were  established,  and  large  accessions 
were  made  to  the  Eastern  societies. 

6.  She  was  born  in  Pittsfield,  Mass.,  February 
5th,  1760,  and  deceased  February  7th,  1821. 


Note. — For  further  and  fuller  particulars  of 
the  history,  doctrine*,  laws,  orders,  etc.,  of  the 
Society  and  its  Founders,  the  reader  is  referred  to 
the  works  published  by  the  United  Society,  but 
more  especially  to  the  one  entitled  "  Chrisfs  First 
and  Second  Ajypearing^'^^  and  to  another  entitled 
''' A  Summary  View  of  the  Millennial  Church ^"^^ 
which  can  be  had  on  application  to  any  of  the 
societies. 


STANDARD   WORKS 


PUBLISHED    BY    THE 


United  Society  of  Believers,  called  Shakers 


The  Testimony  of  Christ's  Second  Appearing,  exem- 
plified by  the  Principles  and  Practice  of  the  true  Church  of 
Christ. — History  of  the  Progressive  Work  of  God,  extending 
from  the  Creation  of  Man  to  the  "  Harvest,"  comprising  the 
Four  Great  Dispensations  now  consummating  in  the  Millen- 
nial Church, — Antichrist's  Eangdom,  or  Churches,  contrasted 
vdth  the  Church  of  Christ's  Second  Appearing,  the  Kingdom 
of  the  God  of  Heaven.    Medium  8vo  ;  pp.  650.     Price  $1  25. 

The  Manifesto  ;  or,  a  Declaration  of  the  Doctrines  and  Prac- 
tice of  the  Church  of  Christ.     By  John  Dunlavy.     Medium 

8vo  ;  pp.  486.     Price  $1. 

A  Summary  View  of  the  Millennial  Church ;  or,  United 

Society  of  Believers,  comprising  the  Rise,  Progress,  and 
Practical  Order  of  the  Society;  together  with  the  general 
Principles  of  their  Faith  and  Testimony.  Medium  12mo ; 
pp.  384.    Price  50  cents. 

Tests  of  Divine  Inspiration;  or,  the  Eudimental  Princi- 
ples by  which  True  and  False  Revelation,  in  all  Eras  of  the 


STAJSTDAED   WOEKS.  187 

World,  can  be  uniformly  discriminated.     By  P.  W.  Evans, 
Pamphlet ;  medium  12mo ;  pp.  126.    Price  18  cents. 

Three  Discourses :— On  the  Order  and  Propriety  of  Divine 
Inspiration  and  Revelation,  shomng  the  Necessity  thereof,  in 
all  Ages,  to  know  the  Will  of  God ; — On  the  Second  Appear- 
ing of  Christ  in  the  Order  of  the  Female ; — and  On  a  United 
Inheritance  in  all  Things,  in  order  to  support  a  true  Chris- 
tian Community.  By  Wm.  Leonard.  Pamphlet ;  medium 
12mo  ;  pp.  88.     Price  One  Shilling. 

Brief  Exposition  of  the  Established  Principles  and  Regula- 
tions of  the  United  Society  of  Believers.  Pamphlet ;  medium 
12mo ;  pp.  38.     Price  G  cents. 

A  Short  Treatise  on  the  Second  Appearing  of  Christ,  in  and 
through  the  Order  of  the  Female.  By  F.  W.  Evans. 
Pamphlet ;  medium  12mo ;  pp.  24.     Price  6  cents. 

Plain  Evidences,  by  which  the  True  Church  of  Christ  may 
be  known  and  distinguished  from  all  others.  Extracted  from 
the  "Manifesto."  Pamphlet;  medium  12mo;  pp.  120. 
Price  One  Shilling. 


POST-OFFICE  ADDRESSES 

OF   THE 

AGENTS   FOR   RELIGIOUS   INFORMATION 

OF   THE 

SOCIETIES    OF    SHAKERS. 


New  Lebanon,  N.  Y.Frederick  W.  Evans,  New  Lebanon, 
Columbia  Co.,  N.  Y.,  Shaker  Vil- 
lage. 

Watervliet,  N.  Y.  .  .IssACHAE,  Bates,  Albany,  N.  Y.,  Shaker 
Box. 

Groveland Daniel  Dryer,  Mount  Morris,  Liv- 
ingston Co  ,  N.  Y.,  Shaker  Box. 

Hancock Wileiam  Williams,  West    Pittsfield, 

Berkshire  Co.,  Mass.,  Shaker  Box, 

Ttringham Albert  Battles,  South  Lee,  Berk- 
shire Co.,  Mass.,  Shaker  Box. 

Harvard Daniel  Myrick,  South  Groton,  Mid- 
dlesex Co.,  Mass.,  Shaker  Box. 

Shirley William  Weatherbee,  Shirley  Vil- 
lage, Middlesex  Co.,  Mass.,  Shaker 
Box. 

Enfield,  Conn Philip   Burlingame,    Thompsonville, 

Conn.,  Shaker  Box. 


POST-OFFICE   ADDRESSES.  189 

Enfield,  N.  H Jesse  Danford,  North  Enfield,  Graf- 
ton Co.,  N.  H. 

Canterbury Nehemiah  Trull,    Shaker  Village, 

Merrimac  Co.,  N.  H. 

Alfred John  Vance,  Alfred,  York  Co.,  Me., 

Shaker  Box. 

New  Gloucester.  .  .Isaiah  Wentworth,  or  Otis  Saw- 
yer, West  Gloucester,  Cumberland 
Co.,  Me.,  Shaker  Box. 

Union  Village,  Ohio.  George  Rubush,  Union  Village  (near 
Lebanon),  Warren  Co.,  Ohio.,  Shak- 
er Bos. 

Water vliet,  Ohio. ..  .Ebenezer  Rice,  Dayton,  Montgom- 
ery Co.,  Ohio,  Shaker  Bos. 

White  Water Henry  B.   Bear,  Preston,  Hamilton 

Co.,  Ohio,  Shaker  Box. 

Pleasant  Hill George  Runion,  Pleasant  Hill,  Mer- 
cer Co.,  Ky. 

South  Union John  R.  Eades,  South  Union,  Logan 

Co.,  Ky. 

North  Union James  S.  Prescott,  Cleaveland,  Cuya- 
hoga Co.,  Ohio,  Shaker  Box 


^ 


:  i  1  n  1  n !  tiH^^^^^^^^^H 

1 

i 

1 

